Prof. Dr. Matthias Mack, principal investigator in Project B4 of TRR374, has once again been listed as a “Highly Cited Researcher” in the interdisciplinary category “cross field”. This means he is one of the researchers who, over the past ten years, has authored articles that were among the top one percent of the most cited publications in their field.
More information can be found in the press release (external link, opens in a new window) from the University of Regensburg.
Janina Herold, subproject C6 and supervised by Prof. Iris Heid, received her doctorate on November 20, 2025, with a grade of “summa cum laude.” The title of her thesis is "Kidney Function Across the Lifespan: Development of Approaches and Their Application to Understand the Role of Age and Its Interaction with Polygenic Scores on Glomerular Filtration Rate." In 2026, Ms. Herold will continue her research in New York with the support of a Walter Benjamin Fellowship from the German Research Foundation (DFG) under the supervision of Prof. Morgan Grams (external link, opens in a new window), one of the leading clinical epidemiologists in the field of nephrology.
PD Dr. Fulvia Ferrazzi, subproject leader in the INF1 project, has received the Thiersch Prize, which is awarded annually for the best and most concise postdoctoral thesis at the Medical Faculty of FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg. She presented her outstanding work, entitled “Bioinformatics approaches to dissect transcriptional regulation in development and disease,” in a short “science slam” during the award ceremony at FAU's 百利宫_百利宫娱乐平台￥官网 Academicus 2025. Further information and a link to the video can be found here: https://www.dies.fau.de/speakers/pd-dr-fulvia-ferrazzi (external link, opens in a new window)
Poster award for Bettina Firmke, Project B1, at the 40th Congress of the International Union of Physiological Societies (IUPS; www.iups2025.com) 2025 in Frankfurt am Main. Bettina Firmke is a doctoral student in Katharina Broeker's research group and is investigating the plasticity and endocrine functions of interstitial fibroblasts in healthy and fibrotic kidneys.
Poster award for Tanja Liesenberg, Project A7, at the Nephrology Congress of the German Society of Nephrology (DGfN) (external link, opens in a new window) 2025 in Berlin. Tanja Liesenberg is working in Richard Warth's research group on the development of treatment strategies for GATM-associated kidney disease.
At the annual meeting of the German Society of Nephrology (DGfN), PD Dr Andre Kraus was honoured for his poster contribution "Roxadustat and ADPKD - A preclinical study on potential cyst progression under PHD inhibition". This is the third time in a row that the prize has gone to the Cystic Kidney Research Group, consisting of the Kraus research group (Medicine 4, FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg) and the Buchholz research group (Physiology I, University of Regensburg).
In his study, Dr Kraus investigated the effect of prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors (PHD-I), which are used to treat kidney-related anaemia, on cyst growth in autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). The preclinical results show that PHD-I in clinically relevant concentrations can enhance cyst growth in vitro. In the ADPKD mouse model, roxadustat also led to a dose-dependent increase in cyst size. These findings suggest that the use of this drug class in ADPKD should be evaluated with caution.
Award for the best talk for Bettina Firmke, PhD student in Project B1, at the meeting of the “Junge Niere” (https://junge-niere.jimdosite.com/). Ms. Firmke was then invited to present her award-winning lecture at the 2025 annual meeting of the German Society of Nephrology (https://www.nephrologie-kongress.de/) in Berlin. Bettina Firmke is part of Katharina Broeker's research group, where she investigates the plasticity and endocrine functions of interstitial fibroblasts in healthy and fibrotic kidneys.
Poster prize at the 103rd Annual Meeting of the German Physiological Society(DPG (external link, opens in a new window)) in Vienna and prize for the best presentation at the European Kidney Summer School(EUKISS (external link, opens in a new window)) 2024 in Frankfurt am Main for Elena Sofia Heinl from Prof Schweda's research group (subproject C3). Congratulations to her!
Poster awards for Dr Kathrin Skoczynski and PD Dr Andre Kraus, Project A2, at the Nephrology Congress of the German Society of Nephrology (DGfN) (external link, opens in a new window) 2024 in Berlin. Kathrin Skoczynski and Andre Kraus are both working in Bj?rn Buchholz's research group on the mechanisms of cyst growth in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Kathrin Skoczynski showed that pharmacological inhibition of the characteristic lipid peroxidation in the cyst epithelium led to a reduction in cyst growth in vitro and in an ADPKD mouse model. Andre Kraus investigated the transport of ATP into the interior of the cyst, which is relevant for cyst growth, and characterised both the functional relevance and the regulation of the ATP channel pannexin-1.
Prof Kerstin Amann, deputy spokesperson of TRR374 RENPRO, has received the ERA 2024 Award for Research Excellence in Nephrology. The ERA (external link, opens in a new window) is the European Renal Association - one of the largest nephrology associations in the world. The "ERA Award for Research Excellence in Nephrology" recognises outstanding research achievements in nephrology. The laudation states: "Kerstin Amann is a well-known and highly esteemed nephropathologist and scientist. She enjoys an excellent reputation in Germany, Europe and the USA and is a role model for younger scientists. She has succeeded in establishing the largest centre for nephropathology in Germany and one of the largest in the world."
Press release (external link, opens in a new window)