Anna Lippert has been awarded the Vogel Foundation’s 2025 Research Prize in Medicine
11/19/2025The Würzburg-based foundation "Vogel Stiftung" is supporting Anna Lippert`s research project on developing mechano-optimized immune cells with a grant of 20,000 euros
The Würzburg-based foundation is supporting Anna Lippert`s research project on developing mechano-optimized immune cells with a grant of 20,000 euros. These specially engineered cells are designed to respond selectively to soft, migrating cancer cells. Her innovative approach builds on established immunotherapies while, for the first time, leveraging the concept of immune-cell mechanosensing—an aspect that may open up new possibilities for future immunotherapy strategies.
The award was presented during the festive concert of the Universitätsbund at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg on November 13th.
Anna Lippert plans to use the prize funds to further advance this line of research. “To date, immunotherapies have not fully leveraged the potential of immune-cell mechanosensing. Our project aims to systematically investigate and develop this capability,” the research group leader explains.
Immune cells constantly scan the body for infected or pathologically altered cells. Whether such a cell is ultimately destroyed depends on a variety of factors, including its mechanical stiffness. Cancer cells and tumor tissue frequently exhibit altered stiffness compared with healthy cells, which may help them evade detection and destruction by the immune system.
