Andrea Ablasser facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andrea Ablasser
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Andrea Ablasser in 2014
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| Born | 1983 (age 41–42) |
| Awards | Jürgen Wehland Prize Paul Ehrlich Prize for Young Researchers |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich University of Massachusetts Harvard Medical School |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | University of Bonn École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne |
| Main interests | DNA sensors |
Andrea Ablasser, born in 1983, is a German scientist who studies the immune system. She is a full professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland. Her work helps us understand how our body's natural defenses find and fight off germs like viruses.
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Andrea Ablasser's Early Life
Andrea Ablasser was born in 1983 in Bad Friedrichshall, Germany. Her father was a doctor and her mother was a mathematician. When she was three, her family moved to Buchloe.
She went to high school in Türkheim and Hohenschwangau. Her father inspired her to study medicine. She attended the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU).
Her Medical Training
During her studies, Andrea also spent time in the United States. She studied at the University of Massachusetts. She also did some practical training at Harvard Medical School.
In 2008, she finished her medical degree. She was one of the top ten students in all of Germany. At first, she wanted to study oncology, which is about cancer. But she chose to focus on immunology for her advanced degree. She earned her doctorate from LMU in 2010.
Her Science Career
After getting her doctorate, Andrea Ablasser moved to the University of Bonn. She became the head of a new research group there. Her team studied how our innate immune system works. This is the part of our immune system that acts as the body's first defense.
Discovering DNA Sensors
Her research looked at "DNA sensors." These are like tiny alarms inside our cells. They help the immune system find out if a cell is infected. She found a new molecule that acts as a "second messenger." This molecule is made by a DNA sensor. It sends a warning signal to nearby cells when it finds a germ.
Awards for Her Discoveries
Andrea Ablasser has won many important awards for her work.
- In 2013, she received the Jürgen Wehland Prize. This was for her research on how the immune system recognizes germs.
- In 2014, she won the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize for Young Researchers. She also received the German GlaxoSmithKline Foundation's "Medical Research" Science Award.
- In 2018, she won the Eppendorf Award for Young European Investigators. This was for her findings about innate immunity.
- Also in 2018, she received a special grant called the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant. This grant was for her project named “ImAgine: Exploring the link between innate Immunity and cellular Aging.”
- Andrea says that with ImAgine, they want to understand how immunity and cell aging are connected. This knowledge could help create new treatments.
- In 2019, she became a member of the EMBO.
Moving to Switzerland
In 2014, Andrea Ablasser became a professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). This university is in Switzerland. She started as an assistant professor in the Global Health Institute. Later, she was promoted to associate professor. In May 2021, she became a full professor.
Awards
- 2014: Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Nachwuchspreis
- 2018: Eppendorf Award for Young European Investigators
- 2018: Swiss Science Prize Latsis for her work on understanding the immune system.
- 2021: Pezcoller Foundation-EACR Translational Cancer Researcher Award
- 2021: Dr. Josef Steiner Cancer Research Award
- 2021: EMBO Gold Medal
- 2025: Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize
See also
In Spanish: Andrea Ablasser para niños
