Hanover celebrates outstanding heads of cancer research in 2025!

Hanover celebrates outstanding heads of cancer research in 2025!

Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, 30177 Hannover, Deutschland - On June 5, 2025, the award ceremony of the Johann-Georg-Zimmermann research award took place at the Hannover Medical School (MHH). The MHH Plus Foundation Foundation honored three outstanding researchers in the field of cancer research: Prof. Dr. Markus W. Büchler, Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Heßmann and PD Dr. Niklas Klümper. These awards are among the highest honors awarded in Germany for cancer research and are associated with the aim of promoting young scientists. The MHH President Prof. Dr. Denise Hilfiker-Kleiner was present to hand over the prices.

The Johann Georg Zimmermann Prize, which is endowed with 10,000 euros, is awarded to young cancer researchers. Prof. Dr. Markus W. Büchler received the Johann-Georg Zimmermann medal for his significant contributions to the operational therapy of pancreatic cancer. As a former director of the clinic for general, visceral and transplant surgery in Heidelberg, Büchler has developed innovative surgical techniques that are suitable for patients who were initially considered to be inoperable. Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Heßmann and PD Dr. Niklas Klümper share the research prize and also make valuable contributions to personalized treatment approaches for pancreatic cancer.

research on pancreas

pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive types of cancer. He is often recognized late and speaks poorly on conventional therapies. Heßmann heads a clinical research group at the University Medical Center Göttingen, which deals with the different subtypes of this disease. Klümper works in the urology of the Bonn University Hospital and develops personalized therapy strategies in the field of uro-oncology. These modern approaches are crucial because pancreas cancer is strongly crowded by nerves that play a role in tumor growth and survival.

A new research has shown that nerve activity in pancreatic carcinoma goes through specific changes. These findings open up new opportunities for therapeutic strategies. Surgical separation of the likeable nerve connections has shown significant positive effects on tumor growth. The blockade of these nerves makes the tumors more sensitive to immunotherapy, such as the Checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab, and could increase the effectiveness of further combined therapy approaches.

Current therapy approaches and clinical studies

parallel to these innovative research in Germany Phase 3 therapy studies for pancreatic cancer are running that evaluate new active ingredients and therapies. These studies compare new treatment methods with already approved standard therapies to check their effectiveness and security. The aim of these clinical studies is to potentially make new medication available for patients. Interested patients have the opportunity to find out about personalized study searches and to take part in these important research initiatives.

The close cooperation between researchers, clinics and funding institutions shows that despite the challenges that pancreatic cancer entails, there is hope for new and effective treatment approaches. Scientists work tirelessly to promote basic research and clinical application to improve the chances of survival for patients. The continuous research of the interactions between the nervous system and tumor biology is considered the key to new therapy concepts.

In order to learn more about the ongoing studies, interested patients can visit the overview of iuvando . Details about the award ceremony and the excellent researchers can be read on the mhh , while the latest developments on the nerve blockade as a treatment method for abdominal gland cancer dkfz