Prof. Klein receives Hamburg Science Award 2025
The Academy of Sciences in Hamburg is honoring Klein's groundbreaking work in antibody-mediated HIV and other viral infection prevention and therapy. The €150,000 prize is sponsored by the Hamburg Foundation for Science, Development, and Culture Helmut and Hannelore Greve. The award will be presented on November 21, 2025, at Hamburg City Hall. The patron is the First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.
Professor Klein studies the development of human B lymphocytes and the antibodies they produce to target viral pathogens, such as HIV, hepatitis C, Ebola, and SARS-CoV-2. Prof. Klein is particularly interested in broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies, which he is developing to prevent and treat infectious diseases. Prof. Klein's work aims to ensure that his and his team's research results, as well as those of cooperating research groups, find clinical application in patients.
Beyond his scientific work, Prof. Klein is known for his commitment to science policy and society. During the pandemic, he collaborated with partners from the German Center for Infection Research to develop one of the first antibody-based therapies, which they tested in clinical trials. Additionally, he has advocated for smart testing systems and developed the lollipop test with his team and partners. This test made widespread, simple testing possible and allowed many children to regularly attend daycare centers and schools. Early in the pandemic, Prof. Klein also emphasized the importance of developing vaccines and achieving universal vaccination coverage.
The Hamburg Academy of Sciences awarded Professor Klein the Hamburg Science Prize in recognition of his groundbreaking work on antibody-mediated defense against viral infections and their immunomodulatory effects. His research deepens our understanding of antibody functions and paves the way for advances in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Professor Klein plans to use the €150,000 prize money for further HIV research. He aims to determine why the virus is controlled for many years without medication in some people with HIV infection after antibody therapy. "In these cases, we see that the virus is kept in check by the patients' own immune systems. This control can last for years," says Prof. Klein. “We suspect that the reason for this is an interaction between the cellular components of the immune system and the administered antibodies. However, we do not know exactly how this works. The generous prize money now gives us the opportunity to understand the exact mechanisms involved." Our goal is to find out if this situation can be induced in most people living with HIV, not just a few patients.
"It is with great pleasure that I congratulate Professor Florian Klein on receiving the 2025 Hamburg Science Prize. This award recognizes his outstanding contributions to immunomodulation research and his exceptional dedication during challenging times. During the Coronavirus pandemic, Professor Klein and his team developed lollipop tests, a groundbreaking solution that enabled children and young people in schools to be tested for SARS-CoV-2 reliably and without the need for unpleasant throat swabs. This testing strategy significantly contributed to making schools safer and reducing interruptions to education in North Rhine-Westphalia and beyond. His scientific work in the field of broadly neutralizing antibodies, combined with translational research and rapid clinical trials, exemplifies the relevance of research to society. The University Hospital of Cologne is extremely proud to have Prof. Klein among its ranks," said Univ.-Prof. Dr. Edgar Schömig, Chairman of the Board and Medical Director of the University Hospital of Cologne.
This message has been modified by the CMMC (K. Heber & D. Grosskopf-Kroiher) and is based on the text by the press and communications team of the University Hospital Cologne (original German version here).