Claudia Keller Valsecchi recieves the Friedrich Miescher Award 2025
Dr Claudia Keller Valsecchi, a Group Leader at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz, Germany, has been selected to receive the Friedrich Miescher Award 2025. The award is Switzerland’s highest distinction for young scientists in biochemistry.
The Friedrich Miescher Award is awarded annually by Life Sciences Switzerland (LS2), which is the largest life sciences society and network in Switzerland. The award is given to scientists under the age of 40 with Swiss nationality or who work in Switzerland.
This year, Claudia was jointly awarded the Friedrich Miescher Award together with Prof. Li Tang (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne [EPFL]). The two researchers will share the prize of 20,000 Swiss francs (~€21,300).
"It’s a great honor to receive this award, especially in light of the exceptional scientists who have been recognized in the past," says Claudia. "Many of them have been inspiring role models, both scientifically and personally.”
Claudia’s research focuses on the mechanisms that cells use to ensure that maternally and paternally inherited genes are expressed in balanced, equal amounts. This is extremely important for normal development and function, as its disruption can result in developmental failure or severe disorders such as cancer. Her group is especially interested in studying how these mechanisms work to balance gene expression in situations where there is an unbalanced number of genes, such as in the case of the sex (X and Y) chromosomes, or when genes and chromosomes are duplicated during evolution. Using a range of model and non-model organisms such as mosquitoes and brine shrimp, her team investigates processes like dosage compensation, regulatory RNAs, and chromatin structure to uncover evolutionary and biomedical insights.
IMB warmly congratulates Claudia on her achievement.
Further details
Further information can be found at www.ls2.ch/funding/awards.
Claudia is a Group Leader at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB). Further information about research in the Keller Valsecchi lab can be found at www.imb.de/keller-valsecchi.
About the Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH
The Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB) is a centre of excellence in the life sciences that was established in 2011 on the campus of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). Research at IMB focuses on the cutting-edge fields of epigenetics, genome stability, ageing and RNA biology. The institute is a prime example of successful collaboration between a private foundation and government: The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation has committed 154 million euros to be disbursed from 2009 until 2027 to cover the operating costs of research at IMB. The State of Rhineland-Palatinate has provided approximately 50 million euros for the construction of a state-of-the-art building and is giving a further 52 million in core funding from 2020 until 2027. For more information about IMB, please visit: www.imb.de.
Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation
The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization that is committed to the promotion of the medical, biological, chemical, and pharmaceutical sciences. It was established in 1977 by Hubertus Liebrecht (1931–1991), a member of the shareholder family of the Boehringer Ingelheim company. Through its funding programmes Exploration Grants, Plus 3, and Rise up!, the Foundation supports excellent scientists during critical stages of their careers. It also endows the international Heinrich Wieland Prize, as well as awards for up-and-coming scientists in Germany. In addition, the Foundation funds institutional projects such as the Vienna-based AITHYRA institute combining AI and Biomedicine, the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), both in Germany. www.boehringer-ingelheim-stiftung.de/en
Press contact for further information
Dr Ralf Dahm, Director of Scientific Management
Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB), Ackermannweg 4, 55128 Mainz, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 6131 39 21455, Email: press(at)imb.de