At a glance
- 7 funded projects
- €7.45 million in total funding
- 74 applications submitted in the first funding call
Why this funding matters
The funded projects address diseases with a high burden of illness and major relevance for patients, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and vision loss. At the same time, the funding program strengthens new cross-institutional collaborations across Munich.
The funded projects
All funded projects bring together researchers from at least two M1 partner institutions—LMU Medicine, TUM Medicine, and Helmholtz Munich. Through this initiative, M1 is fostering new collaborations and leveraging Munich’s exceptional concentration of biomedical expertise.
Neuronal Repair in Cerebrovascular Disease – From Transplantation to Non-Invasive Approaches Through Immune Cell Reprogramming; Prof. Magdalena Götz, Helmholtz Munich, Prof. Martin Dichgans, LMU Medicine, Prof. Arthur Liesz, LMU Medicine, Funding: €1,610,000
CarIMMUN: Boosting T Cell-Based Immunotherapy in Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma via Carfilzomib-Induced Antigen Enhancement; Prof. Florian Bassermann, TUM Medicine, PD Dr. Judith S. Hecker, TUM Medicine, Prof. Marion Subklewe, LMU Medicine, Prof. Sebastian Theurich, LMU Medicine; Funding: €1,493,000
M1 Cachexia Center; Prof. Stephan Herzig, Helmholtz Munich, Prof. Jürgen Behr, LMU Medicine, Prof. Marc Martignoni, TUM Medicine, Funding: €1,500,000
BEAT-IT – Bio-Engineered Nucleic Acid Therapy for Targeting Inflammation of Heart-Innervating Sympathetic Ganglia to Treat Cardiovascular Disease; Prof. Stefan Engelhardt, TUM Medicine, Prof. Steffen Massberg, LMU Medicine, Prof. Karin Ziegler, TUM Medicine, Funding: €1,500,000
DECODE: Detecting and Decoding Residual Disease in PDAC via Tumor Organoid-Informed, Machine Learning-Driven Cell-Free Nucleosome Profiling; Prof. Maximilian Reichert, TUM Medicine, Dr. Rodrigo Villaseñor, LMU Medicine, Funding: €450,000
MIRAGE: Multimodal Imaging Resource Platform for Accelerated Gene Therapy Evaluation; Prof. Wolfgang Weber, TUM Medicine, Prof. Ali Ertürk, LMU Medicine, Dr. Christoph Gruber, Helmholtz Munich, Funding: €449,926
VISTA: Vision Restoration via Synthetic Enhancers and Targeted AAVs; Dr. Boyan Bonev, Helmholtz Munich, Prof. Stylianos Michalakis, LMU Medicine, Funding: €449,993
A New Impetus for Translational Medicine in Munich
Innovations for Patients is the flagship scientific funding program of the M1 Alliance. It supports projects that translate outstanding biomedical research into clinical applications, improved diagnostics, and innovative therapeutic approaches.
Flagship Projects: High Ambition, Transformative Innovation
Flagship Projects are designed for established researchers tackling exceptional scientific and medical challenges. They enable bold, high-impact research beyond the scope of conventional funding schemes, with the goal of delivering major innovations that benefit patients.
Translational Research Groups: Patient-Focused, Experimental, and Clinically Oriented
Translational Research Groups support emerging clinician-scientists and medical researchers in the early and mid-stages of their careers. Their focus is on patient-centered research, biomarker development, and preparing the groundwork for future clinical trials.
Selected Through a Highly Competitive Process
The response to the inaugural funding call was exceptional: 74 applications were submitted, and seven projects were selected through a science-driven, externally peer-reviewed evaluation process.
