Symposium and Award Ceremony.
On 11 December 2025, Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung will award this year’s Heinrich Wieland Prize to Adrian R. Krainer from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, USA.
He will receive the 250,000 EUR prize in recognition of his groundbreaking discoveries on how cells modify genetic messages before making proteins – a process known as pre-mRNA splicing – and for applying this knowledge to develop the first therapy for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic disorder that was previously the leading genetic cause of death in infants and young children.
The award ceremony will take place following a scientific symposium featuring engaging talks related to the prizewinner’s research field, lively discussions, and unique opportunities for exchange between leading scientists and young talents.
Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung warmly invites all interested parties to register and participate.
PhD students and postdocs are invited to apply for a short talk at the symposium and for travel grants to support their participation. More information is available on the registration portal.
ADRIAN KRAINER AND HIS RESEARCH
Programme: Symposium and Award Ceremony on 11 December 2025
Symposium (from 3:30 pm)
Chair: Franz-Ulrich Hartl, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried
Elena Conti, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried: To degrade or not to degrade: molecular mechanisms of RNA homeostasis
Profile
Ana Boškovic, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Rome, Italy: Mechanistic studies of intergenerational inheritance in mammals
Profile
Utz Fischer, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU), Germany: RNA biology and its link to human diseases
Profile
Juan Valcárcel, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona, Spain: Networks of alternative splicing regulation in cancer
Profil
Annemieke Aartsma-Rus, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), The Netherlands: From rare no nanorare: applying lessons learned from Duchenne RNA therapy to individualized treatments
Profile
Junior Scientists
Junior scientists can apply for the opportunity to present a short-talk about their research at the symposium. All junior scientists are invited to participate in an informal Meet-the-Speakers session.
Award Ceremony (from approx. 7:00 pm)
Presented by Stephan Formella, Managing Director Science & Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung
Laudatio
Sir Richard Roberts (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1993), New England Biolabs, Ipswich, USA
Profile
Award Lecture
Adrian R. Krainer, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, USA: Shooting the messenger: 'antisense' therapies for rare diseases
Profile
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