Varun Venkataramani and his team have clinched the third edition of the BIAL Biomedicine award, bagging a prize of 300,000 euros (US$ 324,244). The accolade, sponsored by the BIAL foundation, aims to honor exceptional contributions in biomedicine, highlighting research of significant quality and scientific relevance from the past decade.
Led by Venkataramani, along with Frank Winkler and Thomas Kuner from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, the team’s groundbreaking study titled “Glutamatergic synaptic input to glioma cells drives brain tumor progression” earned them the prestigious recognition. Published in Nature in 2019, the study delves into the critical understanding of human cancer, particularly glioblastomas, an aggressive form of brain tumor with a dismal average survival time despite advanced treatments.
Their research sheds light on how glioblastomas and other untreatable gliomas intricately integrate into brain function. It reveals that input from healthy brain cells, typically involved in cognitive functions like thinking and memory, propels the advancement of gliomas through synapse formation between neurons and cancer cells.
Moreover, their findings offer a fresh perspective on the association between epilepsy and tumor progression, suggesting that epilepsy could potentially instigate, rather than follow, tumor development.
Venkataramani, serving as a group leader in functional neuroanatomy, plays a pivotal role in the department. Additionally, he spearheads research in the subgroup focusing on neuron-glioma synapses for glioma progression and therapy resistance, under the guidance of Professor Frank Winkler at DKFZ Heidelberg and University Hospital Heidelberg.
His academic journey, marked by a focus on superresolution microscopy methods for synaptic characterization during his MD thesis, led to his pivotal discoveries regarding synaptic contacts on glioma cells during his PhD tenure under Professors Winkler and Kuner. Currently, Venkataramani delves deeper into the role of synaptic contacts in brain tumor networks and various cancer entities.
