Influencing bacterial metabolism with programmable antibiotics
The Vogel Foundation is supporting a new research project at the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg: Eckernkamp fellow received certificate at the Universitätsbund gala concert
The Vogel Foundation Dr Eckernkamp is supporting a new project at the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg (HIRI). Vincent Lau, who is pursuing his PhD in the laboratory of HIRI director Jörg Vogel since 2024, is developing antisense oligomers (ASOs) that can interfere with bacterial metabolism as part of his research. These short nucleic acid chains aim at modulating metabolic pathways involved in processing certain drugs, which can have negative health effects. He is also researching ASOs for the targeted treatment of bacterial infections, particularly in connection with complex diseases.
Vincent Lau will receive the Dr Eckernkamp Fellowship over the next three years with an annual funding of 30,000 euros. He was presented with his certificate during the gala concert the Universitätsbund Würzburg on November 13: Gunter Schunk, Chairman of the Vogel Foundation, and Erhard Frank, the Foundation's Chief Financial Officer, presented it to the HIRI doctoral student in the presence of his predecessor Valentina Cosi.
About the Fellowship Program
In 2018, the Vogel Foundation Dr Eckernkamp and the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg successfully launched their first research fellowship. This program supports outstanding young scientists in their training and further education through a PhD. Previous fellows include Falk Ponath, Darshana Gupta, and Valentina Cosi.
About the Vogel Foundation
The Vogel Foundation Dr Eckernkamp was founded in 2000 by the publisher Dr Kurt Eckernkamp and his wife Nina Eckernkamp-Vogel. Its motto is "Participation in life through research". In the past 20 years, the institution has supported around 115 major projects with a total of more than 2.5 million euros. In addition to science, the focus has also been on education, culture and healthcare.
