Prof. Uwe Haberkorn received the Georg-von-Hevesy Medal at the 64th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Nuclear Medicine (DGN). With this award, the DGN honours outstanding scientific achievements that have made a significant contribution to the development and evaluation of innovative methods in nuclear medicine. We warmly congratulate him on this special distinction.

Prof. Haberkorn is a professor emeritus and former Medical Director of Nuclear Medicine at the Heidelberg University Hospital, Head of the Clinical Cooperation Unit Nuclear Medicine at the German Cancer Research Center, DZL Principal Investigator, and long-standing faculty member of the TLRC.

His research focused on the development of molecular approaches for diagnostics and therapy. Using molecular biological and biotechnological methods, his research team  identified chemical compounds that preferentially bind to tumours. Following successful testing in cell cultures and animal models, such ligands were transferred  into clinical application.

For example, radiolabelled molecules enable the visualisation of activated connective tissue cells in patients with lung tumours using imaging techniques. These findings support tumour assessment and can contribute to therapeutic decision-making. In addition, his team is investigating whether this diagnostic approach can be used to detect lung fibrosis at an early stage.