The Selection Board of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation has followed the TU Dresden’s proposal and awarded Dr. Kathrin Plath with a Humboldt Professorship. One of the well-respected awards is given to the cell biologist who currently works at the Department of Biological Chemistry“ at the University of California (USA). Today this was announced by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Federal Ministry for Education and Research. The distinguished Humboldt professorships are rewarded a prize money up to 5 million Euros for 5 years.

Kathrin Plath who has been working at the University of California in Los Angeles for seven years can exhibit several cutting-edge research results: for example she was one of the first researchers worldwide to reprogram mouse and human adult cells into an embryonic stem cell-like state, thus to transform somatic cells into so called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. IPS cells closely resemble natural stem cells with many embryonic stem cell-like properties and have a high medical potential. They allow investigations in numerous unknown processes in the development of stem cells.

Photo: The cell biologist Dr. Kathrin Plath is nominated for a Humboldt Professorship at the TU Dresden. (Photo: Department of Biological Chemistry/University of California, Los Angeles)

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Birte Urban-Eicheler
Press office Center for Regenerative Therapies /DFG Research Center and Cluster of Excellence at the TU Dresden
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