Lennard Ostendorf was awarded the DGfN Grupe-Zollinger Research Prize
Dr. Lennard Ostendorf, MD/PhD, of Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the DRFZ was awarded the Grupe-Zollinger Research Prize at the annual conference of the German Society of Nephrology (DGfN) in Leipzig. The prize recognizes his contributions to the development of new therapies for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) targeting the CD38 molecule.
In the Autoimmunology Research Group led by PD Dr. Tobias Alexander and Prof. Falk Hiepe at Charité—University Medicine Berlin and the DRFZ, Dr. Ostendorf developed the therapy from preclinical data through to a successful Phase II trial. He was able to prove that treating female SLE patients with daratumumab, a drug that targets the CD38 molecule, can significantly reduce disease activity. Among other things, daratumumab kills plasma cells, which are considered drivers of the disease due to their production of autoantibodies.
Grupe-Zollinger Research Award
The German Society of Nephrology (DGfN), in collaboration with the Jürgen and Felicitas Grupe Foundation, awards a prize that promotes and honors outstanding researchers in the field of transplantation—particularly living donations—as well as the immunology of kidney diseases. The prize is endowed with 5,000 EUR.
Autoimmunology
Photo: Copyright Aey Congresse GmbH
