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Pioneer of modern cancer therapy is awarded with the "Ilse and Helmut Wachter Prize" at the Medical University of Innsbruck

At the Medical University of Innsbruck, the prestigious Ilse and Helmut Wachter Prize will be awarded for the eighth time on Nov. 29th 2014. This years laureate, Prof. Alexander Levitzki from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is one of the worlds most famous researcher in cancer desease. His scientific achievements have significantly contributed to the development of completely new and precise cancer therapies. The Wachter-Prize is awarded for outstanding achievements in the field of medical research.

Prof. Alexander Levitzki is awarded for the Ilse and Helmut Wachter Prize for his development of signaltransduction therapy. Thus, the Israeli biochemist has laid the foundation for personalized cancer therapy. His findings have led to the development of cancer medication which are worldwide applied in clinical routine. Levitzki, who teaches and researches at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has had developed a form of therapy that allows mutated tyrosine kinases, which can cause cancer, to disable selectively and thus to stop cancer. "When I look who already has received the Ilse and Helmut Wachter Prize, I see myself on a very selected list. That is why I am very pleased and grateful that I get this award, "says Prof. Levitzki. For his research findings Levitzki, who is a worldwide recognized expert in modern cancer treatments, had been awarded with the Wolf Prize in Medicine in 2005 - this is one of the most important international awards after the Nobel-Prize.

Key findings also for the Innsbruck Cancer Research

The Rector of the Medical University of Innsbruck, Prof. Helga Fritsch, has welcomed this years Wachter-Prize winner at the Medical University of Innsbruck. "We will use the common days in Innsbruck for an intensive exchange." International networking and co-operation are important prerequisites for advanced medicine and medical research. Oncology is one main field of research at the Medical University of Innsbruck.

"The pioneering work of Professor Levitzki has influenced and inspired the scientific community, as can be seen from the more than 24,000 citations of his work, " says Prof. Lukas Huber, CEO of Wachter-Foundation and Director of the Division of Cell Biology of the Medical University of Innsbruck. Also for the Innsbruck cancer research, the findings of Levitzki are indicatory:„For example, we have developed special cell cultures with which we can examine faster and more accurately, if the chemical kinase inhibitors, discovered by Prof. Levitzki, can stop cancer growth.“

Facts Ilse & Helmut Wachter Prize

The Ilse and Helmut Wachter Prize is one of the worlds highly valuable academic awards (prize money of € 15.000.-) and is awarded for outstanding achievements in the field of medical research. The quality of the nominations is high. For example, the Israeli biochemists Prof. Avram Hershko and Prof. Aaron Ciechanover, who recieved the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2004, were awarded with the Wachter-Prize in 1999 .

Further Information: http://www.wachterstiftung.org

Ilse und Helmut Wachter Prize Winners:

• 2012: Jean-Laurent Casanova  for his work on the genetics of childhood infectious diseases
• 2010: William A. Catterall  for his pioneering work in calcium channel research
• 2007: Irving L. Weissman for his outraging achievements in stem cell research
• 2005: Cynthia J. Kenyon for the Discovery of mechanisms regulating the aging process in C. elegans
• 2003: Wolfgang P. Baumeister for the Elucidation of the structure and mechanism of the proteasome
• 2001: Hanns Möhler  for the Elucidation of the effects of Benzodiazepines on brain function
• 1999: Avram Hershko & Aaron Ciechanover  for the Detection and Elucidation of the Ubiquitin-System

About Innsbruck Medical University

Innsbruck Medical University has approximately 1,400* employees and around 3,000 students and, together with the University of Innsbruck, is the largest educational and research institution in western Austria and the regional university for Tyrol, Vorarlberg, South Tyrol and Liechtenstein. The following courses are offered at Innsbruck Medical University: Medicine and Dentistry as the basis of an academic medical degree and a PhD degree (PhD) as the postgraduate aspect of scientific work. The bachelor's degree in Molecular Medicine is new in the curriculum since autumn 2011. There is the possibility to continue with a master degree in Molecular Medicine.

Innsbruck Medical University is involved in numerous international educational and research programmes and networks. The research focuses on the areas Oncology, Neuroscience, Genetics, Epigenetics and Genomics as well as Infectious Diseases, Immunology & Organ and Tissue Repair. In addition to scientific research, Innsbruck Medical University is also nationally and internationally very successful in the highly competitive field of research funding.

* full-time equivalent