Andrea Ablasser wins 2025 Paul Marks Prize
Andrea Ablasser. Credit: EPFL
Professor Andrea Ablasser at EPFL is one of three recipients of the 2025 Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research, awarded by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
The Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research, awarded every two years by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), “recognizes a new generation of leaders in cancer research who are making significant contributions to the understanding of cancer or are improving the treatment of the disease through basic or clinical research.” Since its launch in 2001, the prize has awarded over $1.8 million in total prize money to 40 scientists.
The 2025 Paul Marks Prize has been awarded to three recipients, among which is Professor Andrea Ablasser at EPFL’s School of Life Sciences (Global Health Institute).
Professor Ablasser's research has been instrumental in uncovering how the innate immune system detects and responds to DNA from pathogens. Recently, her studies have shown how the cGAS-STING pathway is involved in chronic inflammation and neurodegeneration associated with aging, providing insights that could lead to novel strategies for combating these conditions.
Ablasser’s work has opened new avenues for the development of therapies aimed at modulating the immune response, offering potential treatments for a variety of diseases. Her contributions to the scientific community extend beyond her research, as she actively participates in fostering scientific dialogue and collaboration.
In addition to the Paul Marks Prize, Professor Ablasser has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize, the Cloëtta Prize, and the NOMIS Award in 2024, the Paul Martini Prize in 2023, the William B. Coley Award in 2020, the EMBO Gold Medal in 2021, and the National Latsis Prize in 2018. In 2014, she was awarded the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Early Career Award for characterizing cGAMP in detail and showing that its production and structure differ chemically from those of other dinucleotides.
Professor Ablasser shares the 2025 Paul Marks Prize with another two recipients: Omar Abdel-Wahab, MD, of MSK and Christina Curtis, PhD, MSc of Stanford University. The winners will share a cash award of $150,000 and will present their work at a symposium held at MSK on December 4, 2025.