DPLD Young Investigator Meeting 2025: Research, Networking, and Awards in Munich

More than 45 young investigators of the DZL Disease Area Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Diseases (DPLD) met from 4th-5th December in Munich to present their work and to receive valuable feedback, as reported by the Coordinators of the Disease Area: Carola Voss (BREATH Hannover), Rory E. Morty (TLRC Heidelberg) and Andreas Günther (UGMLC Giessen). Many senior scientists of the Disease Area DPLD attended the meeting, giving the young investigators a perfect stage. Forty-eight abstracts had been submitted, all of which underwent external expert review by Prof. Jennifer Dickens (Cambridge, UK) and Prof. Raphael Borie (Paris, France).

The meeting started on the afternoon of 4th December, with an inspiring keynote lecture by Prof Janna Nawroth (CPC-M Munich; Helmholtz Munich) on models of airway epithelium and mucociliary transport. The evening was reserved for social activities including an interactive science mime and drawing event as an ice-breaker. The day of 5th December was filled with science and the presentations of the trainees, covering the areas “Development and Regeneration”, “Lung and Disease Modelling”, “Lung Immunity”, “Diagnosis of DPLD”, “Disease Mechanisms and Therapy”, “Environmental challenges”, and, finally, “Drug Delivery”. Thanks to a generous donation by Boehringer Ingelheim of 6000€, poster prizes could be offered.

• Ashutosh Tripathy (UGMLC Giessen) received the first prize for his abstract “Understanding the AT1 cell in lung homeostasis, injury, and repair”.

Based on the rankings, the second/third prize was divided into three recipients tied at second place:

• Maria Camila Melo Narvaez (CPC-M Munich) with her abstract “Identification of CRIPTO-1 as a senescence-associated biomarker and therapeutic target in lung fibrosis”,
• Christina Gabriel (CPC-M Munich) with her abstract BETA/CIVIC Mini-Lung: Advanced Organo- and  Pathotypic in vitro Models of the Lung Focusing on Mechanobiology”, and
• Penghang Chen (CPC-M Munich) with his abstract “Biomimetic multifunctional siRNA platform for macrophage-targeted SPP1 suppression in pulmonary fibrosis“.

The meeting was organized by the DA DPLD trainees Camille Barro, Esmeralda Vasquez Pacheco, Ashutosh Tripathy, Chase Anderson, Bhavika Katariya, Lena Cords and Ümran Turan, who were supported by Franziska Hauptkorn, Sophie Hansen and Andreas Günther.