Pauline Holfelder receives the MTZ-Helmholtz Health Award 2025

Glioblastomas are among the most aggressive brain tumors, associated with a poor prognosis. In her research, Pauline Holfelder investigates the molecular networks linking cell metabolism, immune regulation, and tumor growth. She was able to elucidate the mechanisms by which tumor cells recover nutrients and thus maintain their growth under nutrient deprivation. In patient samples, she discovered a biomarker that shows promise in selecting targeted therapies. Her findings are important for systems medicine and open up new approaches to personalized cancer therapies that consider metabolic and immunological factors. For her groundbreaking research, Pauline Holfelder of DKFZ is now receiving the MTZ-Helmholtz Health Award 2025.

The award winner is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Metabolic Crosstalk in Cancer at the DKFZ in Heidelberg, headed by Christiane Opitz. Since 2018, she has researched the effects of amino acid deficiency on the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) in glioblastoma as part of her Ph.D. thesis (2018–2024). She focuses her research on the molecular mechanisms of tumor metabolism and their influence on immune regulation. Her goal is to develop new therapeutic approaches for aggressive tumors, such as glioblastoma.

The MTZ-Helmholtz Health Award, sponsored by the MTZ® Foundation, is aimed at scientists from the Research Field Helmholtz Health who are working in the field of medically oriented systems biology or systems medicine. It serves as recognition for outstanding scientific achievements in the scientific development phase and is intended to support and encourage the award winners to continue their scientific careers in the field of systems biology/systems medicine.