Christoph Huber
Honorary citizen of the state capital Mainz
Christoph Huber has been conducting research in the field of tumor immunotherapy for 40 years. He is, so to speak, one of the international pioneers in this promising field. Since 1990, he has built up a science-focused university hospital in Mainz with numerous research groups, pioneering structures, and international research networks.
He has been working with Özlem Türeci and Ugur Sahin for 20 years, first as their supervisor and then as their mentor, partner, and friend. In addition to their shared goals and principles, the scientists are connected by numerous joint achievements. In 2001, Huber was able to recruit the two scientists to the Department of Hematology & Oncology at Mainz University Medical Center, which he heads, because of their groundbreaking research contributions to the molecular characterization of tumor antigens and their determination to spin off companies. There, they worked as research group leaders in the DFG's Collaborative Research Center 432 "Tumor Defense and Its Therapeutic Influence." Ugur Sahin's SFB group had already been working on the optimization of mRNA vaccines in the early 2000s. Ugur Sahin subsequently also served as managing director of the DKH's "Tumor Vaccination Center," which was founded by Huber in 2001. In addition, Türeci and Sahin played a key role in establishing and expanding the international research network Cancer Immunotherapy (CIMT), which Huber had founded. CIMT is now one of the leading research networks in this field in Europe and has been headed by Türeci since Huber's resignation.
From the beginning of their collaboration, the three agreed that the successful translation of basic research into the development of products with close ties to academic research was essential. Thus, they founded Ganymed Pharmaceuticals in 2002 and BioNTech in 2008. Together, they also founded the translational research institute TRON and the Ci3 cluster of excellence, which are part of a public-private partnership hub in Mainz.
Reasons for honorary citizenship
By awarding honorary citizenship to University Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Christoph Huber, the state capital of Mainz is recognizing his outstanding contribution to the development of Mainz into an internationally recognized research and biotechnology location for immunotherapies and vaccines.
The internationally renowned physician and scientist was appointed director of the III. Medical Clinic and Polyclinic at Mainz University Medical Center in 1990. There, he laid the foundation for the development of a leading center of excellence for cancer immunotherapies. He was tirelessly committed to providing the best possible treatment for the patients entrusted to him by closely linking research and application. It is thanks to him that numerous research findings in cancer immunotherapy have been transferred into clinical application. His scientific approaches in the field of cancer research and his forward-looking ideas and initiatives for establishing research institutions and companies in Mainz formed the basis for the development of the novel vaccine against COVID-19.
His extraordinary achievements have been recognized with the highest honors.
University professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Christoph Huber is an internationally renowned researcher and teacher, a successful science manager, company founder, and initiator and director of leading translational science networks and scientific institutions. With his innovative ideas and outstanding achievements, he has brought Mainz to the attention of the global public.