Hella Bühler Prize Awarded to DKFZ Researcher Angelika Feldmann

For her groundbreaking research on the regulation of gene activity, Angelika Feldmann has been awarded the 2026 Hella Bühler Prize, which comes with a grant of €100,000. Presented by Heidelberg University, the award is intended for young researchers in the Heidelberg research community who have already distinguished themselves through outstanding scientific achievements in cancer research.

At the heart of Angelika Feldmann’s research is the question of how certain regulatory DNA sequences act as enhancers and falsely activate genes or increase their activity. This mechanism can contribute to the “enhanced” genes triggering uncontrolled cell growth as oncogenes. Angelika Feldmann leads the “Mechanisms of Genome Control” early-career research group at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). 

Oncogenes are overactivated versions of normal genes that lead to uncontrolled cell growth. How so-called “enhancer hijacking” triggers this activation is the subject of Angelika Feldmann’s research. In this mechanism, enhancers bind to specific DNA regions that, as promoters, control the initiation of gene activity. Although the enhancers are often located far away from the gene in question, they can establish contact with the promoter through DNA folding and loop formation. To date, it is unknown whether and when such physical contacts are actually necessary to falsely activate genes or amplify their activity.

Elucidating the mechanisms behind the excessive transcriptional activity of oncogenes in detail is the goal of Feldmann’s project, “The Role of Promoter Contacts in Enhancer Function during the Activation of Developmental and Tumor Genes.” To this end, the researcher is collaborating with Dominik Niopek from the Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology at Heidelberg University.

Angelika Feldmann studied molecular medicine at the University of Freiburg and earned her Ph.D. in genetics in 2014 at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research in Basel. She subsequently conducted research at the University of Oxford before joining the German Cancer Research Center in 2021 as the head of a Helmholtz Junior Research Group. The scientist has received numerous awards and grants for her research, including an ERC Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) in 2023. With funding from the ERC, Feldmann is investigating the molecular processes necessary to ensure that, during an organism’s development, all cells can read the correct genes at the right time.

The research prize, endowed by the Heidelberg dentist Hella Bühler (1910–2002), is intended for early-career researchers at Heidelberg University or for young researchers affiliated with Ruperto Carola through scientific collaboration. The award is intended to support the recipients in the early stages of their careers as they continue and deepen their already outstanding work in the field of cancer research. It is awarded by the University and is one of the most highly endowed awards in the field of cancer research in Germany. The award ceremony will take place on May 7, 2026.

Source: Press release from Heidelberg University