Two iFIT members receive ERC Syngergy Grant

🏆New hope for millions of liver patients: Three leading researchers from Tübingen and Israel receive prestigious Synergy Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) worth ten million euros!

👨‍🔬The HepaModulatoR project—led by our iFIT members Prof. Dr. Thorsten Stafforst, Research Group Leader at the Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry at Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Prof. Dr. Mathias Heikenwaelder, Scientific Director of the M3 Research Center in Tübingen (Universitätsklinikum Tübingen), and Prof. Dr. Erez Levanon (Bar-Ilan University) – aims to completely revolutionize the treatment of chronic liver disease and liver cancer at the molecular level.

🔬With the help of state-of-the-art RNA editing, the aim is to develop precise, safe, and personalized therapies that stabilize liver metabolism, inhibit inflammation, and activate the immune system to specifically combat tumors.

💬“Our vision is to develop RNA drugs that can be flexibly adapted to different stages of disease,” emphasizes Thorsten Stafforst, who is also a founding member of the Tübingen Center for 🧬Gene and RNA Therapy. “If we can control disease processes early and precisely, we will create entirely new possibilities in the treatment of chronic liver diseases,” adds Mathias Heikenwälder. Together, the teams from biochemistry, oncology, and molecular medicine are pooling their expertise to develop innovative RNA drugs—a milestone for personalized medicine.

🇪🇺The ERC is funding HepaModulatoR with ten million euros for the years 2026 to 2032 – a strong signal for excellent research in Tübingen and for international scientific exchange.

👏Congratulations to Thorsten, Mathias and Erez on this outstanding achievement and we are already looking forward to new perspectives in the treatment of liver diseases!