DGP Research Award 2024: DZL Study on Pulmonary Fibrosis Recognized

Their scientific research will make a significant contribution to future therapy development for pulmonary fibrosis: Janine Gote-Schniering (left in photo) and DZL researcher Niklas Lang (right in photo) from the Institute for Lung Health and Immunity at the Helmholtz Zentrum München investigated the induction of fibrotic processes in healthy human lung tissue slices using the Precision-Cut Lung Slice model (PCLS). Additionally, the two young scientists recapitulated central fibrosis mechanisms at the single-cell level through sophisticated single-cell genomics and AI-assisted analyses. The German Respiratory Society (DGP) has now awarded their work the Pneumology Research Prize 2024 as the best basic scientific research.

"The Munich research duo has demonstrated excellent potential through their laboratory research and publication of results. Their work is distinguished by its particularly high scientific relevance," said Professor Wolfram Windisch, DGP President and jury spokesperson at today's award ceremony during the DGP Annual Congress in Mannheim. "Without a doubt, you have earned the first place!" The Pneumology Research Prize is endowed with €10,000.

Research Duo Contributes to Better Understanding of Pulmonary Fibrosis
In pulmonary fibrosis, for which there is currently no effective treatment method, lung tissue progressively scars, leading affected individuals to have insufficient oxygen intake while breathing. Existing models for depicting and analyzing pulmonary fibrosis examine individual cells only or under artificial conditions, thus not reflecting the lung's complexity. "With our human Precision-Cut Lung Slices model, or hPCLS model, we can depict the entire cell network of the human lung in 3D," explains 26-year-old Niklas Lang. "This hPCLS model much more accurately reflects reality than ordinary in vitro models."

To achieve this, both Helmholtz Zentrum München researchers sliced the examined lung tissue into thin sections and treated them with factors triggering lung fibrosis. Through integrating modern single-cell genomics with AI-assisted analyses and data from various patient cohorts, Lang and Gote-Schniering then examined disease-specific cell activities and responses to antifibrotic medications. "This enabled us to systematically investigate how well the hPCLS model recapitulates the characteristic cellular changes of the human disease in hundreds of thousands or even millions of individual cells simultaneously," adds Niklas Lang.

First Description of Cellular Changes in Early Stage Pulmonary Fibrosis

The results are promising: "For the first time, using the hPCLS model, we were able to describe the cellular changes in the early stages of pulmonary fibrosis," emphasizes Janine Gote-Schniering on the relevance of their basic research. "Previously, the analysis was mainly restricted to tissues in the late stages of the disease, such as from transplants," adds the 32-year-old. A milestone!

"Thanks to the new model, it will be possible in the future to test new antifibrotic medications directly in human lung tissue—not only in animal models," appreciates Professor Antje Prasse, also a DZL researcher and chief physician for pneumology at the University Hospital Basel, jury member, and simultaneously chair of the DGP Congress program committee, the excellent research work. "Accordingly, this work has the potential to significantly improve treatment options for pulmonary fibrosis patients in the future."

Two First-Place Research Projects in 2024

In 2024, the Pneumology Research Prize awarded two winning projects. In addition to the Munich work, Dr. Cheng-Yu Wu from Justus Liebig University Giessen was also honored with the prize. "Identifying two such high-quality projects among the submissions allows us as a professional society to express our joy over the outstanding young scientists with two first-place winning works," explains DGP President Windisch. "It is my honor!"