Molecular biologist Elke Deuerling from the University of Konstanz receives the Dr. K. H. Eberle Prize 2026, worth 100,000 euros. The funding will support a basic research project that takes a fresh look at the origins of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and explores new avenues for their treatment.
On the evening of 7 October 2026, the Dr. K. H. Eberle Foundation awarded the Dr. K. H. Eberle Prize, which carries prize money of 100,000 euros. The recipient of the 2026 prize is Elke Deuerling, a molecular biologist in the Department of Biology at the University of Konstanz, for the project "The timing of life: controlling translation to prevent neurodegenerative diseases". In this project, she and her team will investigate whether age-related changes in the process of protein synthesis within our cells contribute to the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and whether this process could serve as a target for interventions aimed at influencing disease progression.
"I am deeply grateful to the Dr. K. H. Eberle Foundation for its confidence in our project. Their generous support will enable us to take a fresh look at the origins of neurodegenerative diseases and gain fundamental insights that could, in the long term, pave the way for new therapeutic approaches. I’m excited to get started on this project with my outstanding team", says Deuerling at the prize ceremony.
Step in before it is too late
Accumulations of misfolded proteins in the brain are considered a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. A key problem in treating these as yet incurable diseases is that the underlying disease processes usually progress unnoticed for years, or even decades, before the first symptoms appear and a diagnosis is made. As a result, current therapeutic approaches intervene only at a late stage, when the disease has already progressed and irreversibly damaged the brain. The development of effective therapies therefore requires new strategies that target the disease process at an earlier stage.
This is precisely where Deuerling's research project comes in, which is now being made possible through the Dr. K. H. Eberle Foundation’s prize. Specifically, the team will investigate to what extent disease-relevant proteins are already formed incorrectly during their synthesis within the cell, and whether this contributes to the characteristic protein deposits that develop over the course of the disease. Furthermore, the researchers want to clarify whether and how this process can be prevented.
Less speed, more space
The research will focus on a protein complex that Deuerling, together with her team and other international colleagues, has been studying for several years: the "Nascent Polypeptide-Associated Complex", or NAC for short. Only recently, the researchers demonstrated that, under certain conditions, NAC can slow protein synthesis in the cell’s protein factories, the ribosomes, in order to ensure that production runs smoothly. This is particularly relevant because several ribosomes, moving one after another, frequently translate the same mRNA molecule simultaneously. If the spacing between ribosomes becomes too small and one of them stalls, collisions occur. The result is the production of incomplete, defective proteins. "Much like on a busy motorway, the faster the pace and the closer the vehicles are to one another, the higher the risk of collisions", explains Deuerling.
Interestingly, the frequency of such collisions increases with age, leading to a rise in the production of defective and potentially toxic proteins within cells. Research in the field is therefore currently undergoing a shift in perspective, with these "rear-end collisions" – to continue the analogy – increasingly being considered a major cause of neurodegenerative diseases. "The insights we have gained into how NAC works are opening up new avenues for observing, and potentially controlling, the formation of toxic proteins", says Deuerling. "With NAC, we have a tool whose known function is to slow the rate of protein synthesis, thereby increasing the spacing between ribosomes along the mRNA. The key question is whether we can harness this mechanism in a targeted way to prevent such collisions from occurring in the first place, thereby stopping them from triggering neurodegenerative processes."
About the funding:
The Dr. K. H. Eberle Foundation, based in Lörrach, Germany, awards an annual prize to support research projects at the University of Konstanz. The foundation has been supporting the university since 2016. In keeping with the donor's wishes, the endowed funds are awarded through a highly competitive, performance-based selection procedure at the University of Konstanz. The aim is to initiate cutting-edge, innovative and bold research projects, thereby enhancing the research profile and the continued development of the University of Konstanz. Particular emphasis is placed on the social relevance of funded projects.
Key facts:
- Professor Elke Deuerling has been awarded the Dr. K. H. Eberle Prize, worth 100,000 euros, for her research project "The timing of life: controlling translation to prevent neurodegenerative diseases".
- Professor Deuerling's research focuses on deciphering the molecular mechanisms by which newly synthesized proteins are recognized, modified and transported to their correct cellular destination to maintain vital proteostasis.
- From our previous coverage of Deuerling’s research into the NAC protein complex: