Magdalena Götz Awarded the Future Insight Prize 2025 – New Paths in Regenerative Neurobiology

Merck has awarded the Future Insight Prize 2025 to Prof. Dr. Magdalena Götz, Director at Helmholtz Zentrum München. The award honors her pioneering research in regenerative neurobiology.

With a €250,000 endowment, the prize recognizes her groundbreaking discovery that glial cells – once thought to be mere support cells – can be reprogrammed into functional neurons. This insight opens new therapeutic pathways for treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

“Professor Götz’s work perfectly embodies the mission of the Future Insight Prize: to accelerate scientific breakthroughs with immense potential for the benefit of humanity,” said Belén Garijo, Chair of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck.

Götz emphasized the transformative journey of her research: “Our work started with fundamental questions about brain development. Seeing it now open up possibilities that could shape the future of regenerative medicine is truly inspiring.”

Her team’s discoveries have fundamentally changed the understanding of brain development and regeneration. They proved for the first time that glial cells can act as neural stem cells, giving rise to neurons. This revolutionized view led to the development of a technique for reprogramming glial cells into neurons – a novel approach to replacing degenerated neurons.

Since 2018, the Future Insight Prize has honored visionary scientists whose work holds the potential to drive groundbreaking innovations for humanity. The 2026 prize will focus on the visionary concept of an “intelligent health sensor” – a non-invasive, wearable device that continuously monitors health indicators and detects early molecular signs of disease. Nominations are now open and can be submitted by members of the global scientific community via email.