Prof. Frank Bradke is a new member of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy for Sciences, Humanities and the Arts
DZNE biochemist and neurobiologist investigates the development and regeneration of nerve cells
Neurobiologist Frank Bradke, research group leader at the DZNE and professor at the University of Bonn, was officially welcomed as a new member of the Nordrhein-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Künste (North Rhine-Westphalian Academy for Sciences, Humanities and the Arts) on May 14, 2025. The learned society appointed him to the so-called Class for Natural Sciences and Medicine. Prof. Bradke received his membership certificate in Düsseldorf during the academy's annual celebration. Around 400 guests, including North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister of Culture and Science, Ina Brandes, attended the festivities. The award recognizes Frank Bradke's outstanding scientific accomplishments in the field of neuronal development and regeneration. With his studies, the Bonn scientist, who focuses on fundamental mechanisms, aims to pave the way for a better treatment of spinal cord injuries. In recent years, Bradke has already been recognized with several awards for his exceptional research.
Prof. Bradke contributes to the understanding of the processes that control the growth of neurons and their extensions, known as axons, and deciphers molecular and cellular mechanisms that can contribute to the regeneration of neurons in the central nervous system. His research findings are of great interest, particularly for people with paraplegia: While nerve cells in other regions of the human body, such as the limbs, can recover to a certain extent after damage caused by an accident or disease, this is not the case for neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Why is this the case, and are there perhaps ways to enable these neurons to regenerate? Frank Bradke and his research group at the DZNE in Bonn are trying to answer these questions. With his research, the molecular biologist is laying the foundations for novel therapies that may be used to treat patients with spinal cord injury in the future.
News by University Bonn from May, 15 2025 (in German)
News by the Academy from May, 15 2025 (in German)
About the laureate: Frank Bradke was born in 1969. After studying at the Freie Universität Berlin and University College London, he carried out research at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg as part of his doctoral thesis. As a postdoctoral researcher, he moved to the University of California in San Francisco and Stanford University in 2000. In 2003, he was appointed a group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried. In 2011, he was awarded the IRP Schellenberg Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in the field of regeneration research. In the same year he became full professor at the University of Bonn, and was appointed head of the Axon Growth and Regeneration research group at the DZNE. Bradke is an elected a member of the Leopoldina (the German National Academy of Sciences), the Academia Europaea, and the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). In 2016, he was awarded the Leibniz Prize, which is the most important research award in Germany. In 2018, he received the Roger de Spoelberch Prize, which is awarded by the Swiss foundation of the same name. In 2021, he was awarded the Carl Zeiss Lecture of the German Society for Cell Biology. In 2023, he received the Remedios Caro Almela Prize for Research in Developmental Neurobiology, which is awarded by the Institute of Neuroscience in Alicante, Spain, in collaboration with partners. In 2024, Frank Bradke was awarded the Academy Prize of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. In the same year, he was appointed to the Henriette Herz Scouting Programme of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, which gives him the opportunity to recommend talented researchers from abroad for a renowned Humboldt Research Fellowship.
About the Nordrhein-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Künste: The North Rhine-Westphalian Academy for Sciences, Humanities and the Arts was founded in 1970. In addition to the sciences, it is the only German academy to have integrated the arts under its umbrella since 2008. Only outstanding researchers and artists are accepted as members. The members engage in scientific dialogue with each other as well as with research and cultural institutions in Germany and abroad. Only those who, according to the statutes, “have distinguished themselves through scientific or artistic achievements” can be elected. The academy currently has around 280 full members and just under 130 corresponding members.
May 2025