Bayer: Science For A Better Life - research

Professor Magdalena Götz honored with the Hansen Family Prize

The brain as a source of neurons

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The work of brain researcher Professor Magdalena Götz has shown that functional neurons can be derived from stem cells and used to replace brain cells damaged in accidents.

The processes that take place in the human brain are extremely complex. Thanks to modern research methods, however, scientists are increasingly discovering new interrelations in this center of thought. For example, the glial cells which make up nearly ninety percent of the brain went virtually unnoticed for many years after their discovery by pathologist Rudolf Virchow in the mid-19th century.

Transformation after injuries
Thanks to work by Professor Magdalena Götz at the Institute of Stem Cell Research from the National Research Center for Environment and Health (GSF) in Neuherberg near Munich, we now know that certain glial cells can transform into neurons after injuries. The neurobiologist was honored with the Hansen Family Prize endowed with €50,000 for her research findings. Read more about the impact her discovery could have on the treatment of brain damage.