Presentation of BINDER Innovation Award 2008

For their work in the development of a new form of fluorescent, antigen-binding nanobodies known as chromobodies, the German Society for Cell Biology (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Zellbiologie e.V.) awarded Dr. Heinrich Leonhardt and Dr. Ulrich Rothbauer the BINDER Innovation Prize at its 2008 annual meeting. BINDER GmbH, the global leader of specialized simulation cabinets for scientific and industrial laboratories, has awarded this €4,000 prize for excellent achievement in the biomedical sector since 1998.

Tuttlingen, March 27, 2008. The BINDER 2008 Innovation Prize has been awarded to Professor Dr. Heinrich Leonhardt and Dr. Ulrich Rothbauer from the Department of Biology II at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. This prize was awarded for their outstanding work in the field of cell research through the use of antibodies. The scientists isolated the antigen-recognizing fragment of heavy-chain antibodies from camels and alpacas and fused it with fluorescent proteins to create fluorescent, antigen-binding nanobodies that can be expressed in living cells. The nanobodies or chromobodies produced in this way can be used to study our internal cell structures, detect cellular components and reactions in individual cells and cell groups, and make them visible. Because of their small size and stability, chromobodies can even be used in living cells. This was not possible with previous antibodies, since they cannot be correctly assembled in living cells and are therefore not active. These novel, molecular tools developed by Professor Leonhardt and Dr. Rothbauer are creating new opportunities for modern research in cell biology and biomedicine to study the functionality of living cells and investigate the causes of human diseases, and are also helpful in the development of pharmaceuticals. The German Society for Cytobiology (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Zellbiologie e. V.) awards the BINDER Innovation Prize for innovative achievements in the field of cell biology once a year.

Peter Michael Binder, president of Binder GmbH, notes that “Innovation creates growth and success. In addition to producing first-class products at our location in Germany, we also strive to promote a broad exchange of ideas in the sciences. Given the rise in technological complexity, innovation requires collaboration between industry and academia, and we hope that the BINDER Innovation Prize will contribute to that endeavor.”

The BINDER Innovation Prize was awarded for the first time in 1998. Every year since then, aspiring scientists have submitted their entries to the German Society for Cell Biology. An independent jury awards the prize to the most deserving project.