This Year's Barbara Hobom Prize Winner
Dr. Barbara Hobom and Prof. Michael Reth present the Barbara Hobom Prize to Elina Kiss
Elena Kiss | Broccoli and Brussels sprouts prevent the occurrence of certain bacterial intestinal infections – this was the subject of a lecture held by Elina Kiss, a Finnish PhD student at the Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM) of the University of Freiburg, at the award ceremony of the Barbara Hobom Prize. Kiss thereby emphasized the importance of her research project, which earned her this year’s prize awarded by the BIOSS cluster of excellence. Dr. Barbara Hobom, a former biologist at the University of Freiburg and science journalist, and Prof. Dr. Michael Reth, the Scientific Director of BIOSS, presented the prize, which comes with €10,000, to the young researcher during the Signalling und Synthetic Biology symposium. This prize is awarded each year for outstanding research projects in the areas synthetic biology, signaling, and bioengineering. BIOSS promotes therewith promising young female scientists. |
According to Prof. Dr. Michael Reth, chairman of the jury in charge of awarding the Barbara Hobom Prize, Ms. Kiss’ findings are a nice, scientifically validated example of how a healthy diet has a positive effect on the functioning of the immune system. The laureate conducted research into the role of cells of the inborn immune system in the intestine in a research group led by Prof. Andreas Diefenbach at the Institute of Medical Microbiology. In particular, she focused on the so-called “innate lymphoid cells” (ILC), which help to build up the immune system of the intestine by forming numerous lymph clusters, thus protecting us from intestinal infections and inflammations of the bowels.
She succeeded in demonstrating that the aryl hydrocarbon receptor on the ILC influences the formation of the lymph clusters. Certain nutrients in vegetables like broccoli or Brussels sprouts activate this receptor, the prize winner explains, thus strengthening the ILC cells and preventing certain bacterial intestinal infections from appearing.
The young SGBM researcher’s findings on the impact of environmental influences on the immune system were published in the renowned journal Science in 2011. The prize money will enable the doctoral candidate to study the effect of the receptors on the ILC cells in even more detail.
Dr. Barbara Hobom (right) and Prof. Dr. Michael
Reth (left) present the prize to Elina Kiss, a PhD
student at the Spemann Graduate School of
Biology and Medicine.
Dr. Barbara Hobom, Prof. Dr. Michael Reth (Scientific Director of BIOSS), Maria Karlsson (the award-winner from 2010), Elina Kiss and Prof. Dr. Andreas Diefenbach at the award ceremony (from left to right).