Professor Meritxell Huch, a director at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany receives this year’s Otto Bayer Award for her pioneering research on human organoids / Four early career scientists are honored with the Early Excellence in Science Awards for their boundary breaking research in the fields of Biology, Chemistry, Data Science and Medical Science.

Leverkusen, November 6, 2024 – Professor Meritxell Huch receives this year’s Otto Bayer Award. The Otto Bayer Award is presented alternating with the Hansen Family Award every second year. The award recognizes leading scientists working in German-speaking countries for ground-breaking research in chemistry or biochemistry. The award with a prize money of EUR 75,000 was generously established in 1984 by a provision in the will of Professor Otto Bayer, a former Director of Research at Bayer AG.

Professor Meritxell Huch from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany is receiving the award in recognition for her pioneering research on human organoids. Organoids are small, in-vitro organ-like structures derived from stem/progenitor and/or adult cells. Her work has significantly advanced the use of organoid models in drug discovery, screening, and disease modeling for personalized medicine. Professor Huch and her team have developed and further studied the growth, regeneration and application of animal and human liver and pancreas organoids. Her research is of great importance for the development of new therapies to c…