CIBSS researcher Prof. Dr. Dr. Melanie Börries from the University Medical Center Freiburg is honoured for her pioneering work on personalised cancer therapy
CIBSS researcher Prof. Dr. Dr. Melanie Börries has been awarded the German Cancer Prize 2025 in the ‘Translational Research’ category for her outstanding research in the field of personalised cancer therapy. The Director of the Institute of Medical Bioinformatics and Systems Medicine at the University Medical Center Freiburg is one of this year's four winners of the German Cancer Prize, one of the most important awards in oncology in the German-speaking world.
Prof. Dr. Dr. Melanie Börries, Image: Jürgen Gocke
‘I am delighted to receive the German Cancer Award. The award not only recognises my work, but also that of many colleagues with whom I work together every day to shape the cancer therapy of the future,’ says Börries. The German Cancer Prize is endowed with 7,500 euros and is awarded annually by the German Cancer Society and the German Cancer Foundation.
‘With her research, Prof. Börries is decisively advancing personalised cancer therapies. She uses data-driven medicine to bridge the gap between the laboratory and the clinic - with the aim of treating patients more specifically and successfully,’ says Prof. Dr. Frederik Wenz, Chief Medical Director of the Freiburg University Medical Centre. ‘I warmly congratulate Mrs Börries on this award.’
‘This award not only recognises an outstanding researcher, but also a field of research that is essential for the medicine of tomorrow. Prof. Börries combines scientific applications with strategic foresight - this strengthens the visibility of cancer research in Freiburg far beyond the region,’ says Prof. Dr. Lutz Hein, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Freiburg.
At the heart of her work is the question: Which therapy works for which person - and why? To answer this question, Börries uses artificial intelligence and modern biotechnologies to analyse the molecular properties of tumours. For example, her research has contributed to a new therapeutic approach for graft-versus-host disease - a dangerous immune reaction that can occur after stem cell transplants. The findings are already being used in a clinical trial.
It is also developing digital tools to help doctors better understand complex genetic data and translate it into specific treatment recommendations - for example, as part of the Molecular Tumour Board. In particular, her research is helping to make individualised predictions about treatment response and survival in pancreatic cancer, a cancer that is often difficult to treat.
The Freiburg scientist also takes on responsibility at a national level: she heads the PM4Onco (‘Personalised Medicine for Oncology’) consortium, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and uses modern technology, data analysis and interdisciplinary collaboration to develop new treatment strategies tailored to individual patients. She is also the site spokesperson for the German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK) in Freiburg - a nationwide network of leading cancer centres that aims to translate scientific findings into clinical application more quickly.
