Funded Projects and Awards
of the HENNER GRAEFF Foundation
The following prizes and grants have been awarded by our foundation in recent years:
2026
Promotion of young researchers (Financial support)
Yizhu Li
2nd Medical Clinic, Universitätsklinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Germany
RNA-Seq, ChIP-Seq and phospho-proteomic analyses in pancreatic cancer organoids
Evelyn Hammer
TUM School of Medicine and Health, Institute of Molecular Immunology, Technical University of Munich, Germany
Molecular characterization of extracellular vesicles for improved subtyping and diagnosis of breast cancer
Melanie Grüning
Institute for Surgical Pathology, University of Freiburg, Germany
Mass spectrometry-based techniques for spatial proteomics and metabolomics on tumor tissues
Foundation Awards
Francesca Gasparin
Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
Mid-infrared optoacoustic microscopy: a novel approach for label-free chemical imaging and spectroscopy of live cells
Ph.D. Award 2026 for the outstanding overall performance in the Ph.D. program Medical Life Science and Technology, TU Munich
Chelsea Kaden
University of Greifswald, Germany
Functional expansion of the Staphylococcus aureus protease ClpXP interactome using the TIE-UP-SIN workflow
Young Investigator Award, 43rd Winter School on Proteases and Their Inhibitors, Tiers, Italy, 2026
Kira Kutscheit
University of Freiburg, Germany
Novel roles of a neutrophil aspartic protease in murine breast cancer
Young Investigator Award, 43rd Winter School on Proteases and Their Inhibitors, Tiers, Italy, 2026
Michel Hendel
Technical University of Munich, Germany
A TIMP-1-dominated immunosuppressive secretory signature accompanies malignant progression in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
Young Investigator Award, 43rd Winter School on Proteases and Their Inhibitors, Tiers, Italy, 2026
Meeting Support
Financial support of the 43rd Winter School on Proteinases and Their Inhibitors in Tiers, Italy, March 11 – 15, 2026
Organized by Prof. Dr. Hans Brandstetter, Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, Austria
2025
Foundation Awards
Wayne Denis Monteiro
John Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
Protease substrate profiling using molecular indexing of proteins by self-assembly
Young Investigator Award, 13th Meeting of the International Proteolysis Society, Buzios, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, 2025
Daniele Ferrarri
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Granzyme B deficiency enhances myelin repair and locomotor recovery after spinal cord injury
Young Investigator Award, 13th Meeting of the International Proteolysis Society, Buzios, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, 2025
Naiá Santos
Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria
Processing of sAPPα/β by legumain has a regulatory effect on Aβ oligomerisation
Young Investigator Award, 42ndWinter School on Proteases and Their Inhibitors, Tiers, Italien, 2025
Samuel Zölg
University of Freiburg, Germany
An interplay between proteases: DPP9 as regulator of non-lysosomal cathepsins
Young Investigator Award, 42ndWinter School on Proteases and Their Inhibitors, Tiers, Italien, 2025
Peter Grin
University of British Columbia & University of Bern, Switzerland
Cutting outside the edge: viral protease secretion and extracellular activity
Young Investigator Award, 42ndWinter School on Proteases and Their Inhibitors, Tiers, Italien, 2025
Meeting Support
Financial support of the 42nd Winter School on Proteinases and Their Inhibitors in Tiers, Italy, March 12 – 16, 2025
Organized by Prof. Dr. Hans Brandstetter, Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, Austria
2024
Foundation Awards
Nele von Wiegen
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
Prevention of premature zona pellucida hardening by the endogenous ovastacin inhibitor fetuin-B is substitutable by small molecule compounds
Young Investigator Award, 41st Winter School on Proteases and Their Inhibitors, Tiers, Italien, 2024
Moldt Aleksander Haack
Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
A fast automated N-terminome analysis (FANTA) and data analysis pipeline (CLIPPER 2.0)
Young Investigator Award, 41st Winter School on Proteases and Their Inhibitors, Tiers, Italien, 2024
Samuel Zölg
University of Freiburg, Germany
Beyond a single proline: determining substrate selectivity of dipeptidyl-peptidase 9
Young Investigator Award, 41st Winter School on Proteases and Their Inhibitors, Tiers, Italien, 2024
Kira Bickenbach
University of Kiel, Germany
The metalloprotease meprin β is a sheddase of the transferrin receptor I and influences iron metabolism
Young Investigator Award, 41st Winter School on Proteases and Their Inhibitors, Tiers, Italien, 2024
Meeting Support
Financial support of the 41st Winter School on Proteinases and Their Inhibitors in Tiers, Italy, February 28 – March 3, 2024
Organized by Prof. Dr. Hans Brandstetter, Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, Austria