Innovative RNA Therapies: Keeping Drugs Effective
Insights into Eckernkamp Fellowship Project at the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg
Würzburg, June 15, 2026—The Vogel Foundation Dr Eckernkamp is funding a doctoral project at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg. Fellow Vincent Lau is addressing a clinically relevant yet understudied challenge: the role of the human microbiome in the degradation of systemic drugs and how these microbial processes can be inhibited.
The human microbiome is crucial for maintaining health and can significantly influence how effectively drugs work in the body. Certain gut bacteria can chemically alter therapeutic agents or break them down completely before they reach their target. The consequences range from a noticeable loss of efficacy to the formation of potentially toxic byproducts. This is becoming an increasingly prevalent issue in clinical practice; even when drugs are correctly dosed, they can lose their effectiveness if they are inactivated in the gut. This is precisely where Vincent Lau's research project comes in. The doctoral student at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) was awarded a fellowship from the Vogel Foundation Dr Eckernkamp.
The Würzburg-based foundation launched the fellowship program in 2018 in collaboration with HIRI. “Our goal is to support groundbreaking research at the Würzburg science hub, and foster talented early-career researchers,” explains Gunther Schunk, chairman of the board.
In HIRI Director Jörg Vogel’s laboratory, Lau is investigating an innovative strategy to overcome microbiome-induced drug resistance: the use of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs). These short nucleic acid chains bind specifically to bacterial messenger RNA (mRNA), which contains the blueprint for the underlying enzymes. “ASOs have a decisive advantage: they only block the production of these substances. The bacteria themselves, however, remain viable. Thus, the microbial balance in the gut is preserved,” Lau explains. “This opens up a completely new therapeutic avenue.”
Lau has already demonstrated the therapeutic potential of this approach. The focus was on a chemotherapeutic agent used in cancer therapy and the gut bacterium Escherichia coli. Under normal conditions, E. coli can inactivate the active compound. In model systems, this results in tumor cells sustaining significantly less lethal DNA damage and continuing to grow virtually unimpeded. However, the targeted use of antisense oligonucleotides against the responsible bacterial gene blocked this degradation process. The drug remained effective, and tumor growth was inhibited.
“This method could help ensure the efficacy of important drugs in the future and improve therapies through targeted interventions in bacterial gene expression,” predicts Lau.
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.
About Vincent Lau
Vincent Lau graduated in Pharmacy from the University of Greifswald in October 2024, where he also obtained a Diploma in Pharmaceutical/Medical Chemistry and a BSc in Human Biology. In his research projects, he focused on molecular data management and gained practical experience in the field of immunology and microbiology. He has been a PhD student at the HIRI since 2024. The focus of his thesis is on the development of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) for the modulation of bacterial pathways associated with the metabolism of certain drugs with potential negative effects on health. ASOs to combat bacterial infections in complex diseases are another focal point. Lau is supported by the Vogel Foundation Dr Eckernkamp Fellowship Program.
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 25 years, the institution has supported around 150 major projects in the Würzburg region with a total of more than 6.5 million euros. In addition to science, the foundation has focused on the areas of education, culture, and healthcare.
