Research

Research interests: Immunology, immunotherapy, molecular medicine

Özlem Türeci is a physician and basic researcher in the field of immunology. She researches target structures with a view to developing new treatments for cancer, infectious diseases and diseases of the immune and nervous systems. Together with Uğur Şahin, with whom she co-founded the biotechnology company BioNTech, she developed the mRNA vaccine Comirnaty against COVID-19, and in doing so became one of the leading figures in the fight against the pandemic.

Over the last 20 years, Özlem Türeci and Uğur Şahin have solved several of the challenges associated with mRNA vaccines. They have developed methods for delivering mRNA to dendritic cells using a suitable lipid carrier; improved the stability of the mRNA; and increased the level of protein transfer by 1000 times.

In addition to developing diagnostics and monoclonal antibodies – including zolbetuximab, an antibody that targets gastric and oesophageal cancer – Özlem Türeci has also focussed her research efforts on mRNA-based immunotherapy. This area of her work looks at developing targeted cancer medications as well as immunotherapeutic vaccines against diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV. Since co-founding both Ganymed Pharmaceuticals and BioNTech, she has worked on numerous projects in the fields of oncology and vaccines and is co-inventor of more than 500 patents. During the development of BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 (brand name Comirnaty), she was responsible for organising the clinical trials. She and Uğur Şahin have since received numerous prizes from around the world in recognition of their achievement.

Career

• since 2021 Professor for Personalised Immunotherapy, Helmholtz Institute for Translational Oncology (HI‐TRON), Mainz, Germany, and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
• since 2018 Chief Medical Officer (CMO), BioNTech SE, Mainz, Germany
• 2009‐2018 Chairperson, Scientific Advisory Board, BioNTech SE, Mainz, Germany
• 2008 Co‐Founder, BioNTech SE, Mainz, Germany
• 2008‐2016 Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ganymed Pharmaceuticals AG (now a subsidiary of Astellas Pharma Inc.), Mainz, Germany
• 2002‐2021 Independent Lecturer in Cancer Immunotherapy, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
• 2002 Habilitation in Molecular Medicine, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
• 2001‐2008 Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), Ganymed Pharmaceuticals, Mainz, Germany
• 2001 Co‐Founder, Ganymed Pharmaceuticals AG, Mainz, Germany
• 1992 PhD, Faculty of Medicine, Saarland University, Homburg (Saar), Germany
• 1986‐1992 Degree in Human Medicine, Saarland University, Homburg (Saar), Germany

Functions

• since 2019 Member, Executive Board, Association for Cancer Immunotherapy e. V. (CIMT), Mainz, Germany Member, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), USA
• since 2011 Chairperson and Co‐Initiator, Cluster for Individualized Immune Intervention (Ci3) in the Rhein‐Main Region (Rhineland‐Palatinate, Hessen, Baden‐Württemberg), German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
• 2010 Founding Member, Translational Oncology (TRON), University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
• since 2013 Member, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), USA
• since 2013 Member, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hämatologie und Onkologie (DGHO)
• since 2004 Member, German Society for Immunology (DGfI)

Projects

• 2004‐2005 Applicant, Translational Oncology (TRON) project at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany, German Research Foundation (DFG)
• 2003‐2008 Head, subproject A14, Collaborative Research Centre SFB432, German Research Foundation (DFG)
• 2003‐2008 Head, subproject Z06, Collaborative Research Centre SFB432, German Research Foundation (DFG)
• 1999‐2001 Head, subproject A10, Collaborative Research Centre SFB339, German Research Foundation (DFG)

Honours and Memberships

• 2023 Member, Orden Pour le mérite für Wissenschaften und Künste, Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien
• 2023 Jung Prize for Medicine
• 2022 Honorary Ring, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
• 2022 Werner von Siemens Ring, Werner von Siemens Ring Foundation, Germany
• 2022 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize, Paul Ehrlich Foundation, Frankfurt am Main, GermanyJeantet‐Collen Prize for Translational Medicine, Louis‐Jeantet Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland (together with Uğur Şahin and Katalin Karikó)
• 2021 Deutscher Zukunftspreis – the German Federal President's Award for Technology and Innovation (together with Uğur Şahin, Christoph Huber and Katalin Karikó)
• 2021 German Immunology Award, German Society for Immunology (DGfI)
• 2021 Inducted into the Hall of Fame for German Research, manager magazin, Hamburg, Germany
• 2021 Meyenburg Prize, Meyenburg Foundation, Heidelberg, Germany
• 2021 European Manager of the Year, European Business Press (EBP), Ljubljana, Slovenia
• 2021 Honorary Doctorate, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Germany
• 2021 Princess of Asturias Award for Technical & Scientific Research, Princess of Asturias Foundation, Oviedo, Spain
• 2021 Academy Prize of Rhineland‐Palatinate, German Academy of Sciences and Literature, Mainz, Germany
• 2021 Great Cross of Merit (with star) of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• 2021 Axel Springer Award, Axel Springer SE, Berlin, Germany
• since 2021 Member of the German Academy of Sciences and Literature
• since 2021 Member, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
• since 2021 Member, European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), Heidelberg, Germany
• 2020 Person of the Year, Financial Times, London, UK
• 2020 German Sustainability Award (DNP), German Sustainability Award Foundation
• 2005 Georges‐Köhler Prize, German Society for Immunology (DGfI)
• 1997 Calogero‐Pagliarello Research Award, Calogero‐Pagliarello Foundation, Homburg, Germany
• 1995 Vincenz‐Czerny Prize, German Society of Hematology and Medical Oncology (DGHO)