The aim of this award is to motivate young talents to address phytochemical and phytopharmacological questions, especially with potential clinical implications to advance our understanding of the therapeutic potential of natural products.
It is bestowed annually during the GA conference. This year in Reims, the Dr. Willmar-Schwabe-Young-Talent-Prize, which is sponsored by Dr. Wilmar Schwabe GmbH & Co. KG with 2000€, will be bestowed to Dr. Lorenz Waltl.
Lorenz Waltl obtained his PhD at the Michael Popp Institute, University of Innsbruck (Austria), under the supervision of Prof. Andreas Koeberle, and subsequently continued his research in the group as a postdoctoral fellow.
During his time at the Michael Popp Institute, he discovered the beneficial effects of Mitrephorone B, a natural compound isolated from Mitrephora glabra (Annonaceae), on several key mechanisms underlying liver disease. Mitrephorone B modulates lipid droplets, intracellular organelles responsible for energy storage. It alters the lipid composition of these storage compartments in a manner that is associated with increased resistance of cellular membranes to oxidative damage. In addition, Mitrephorone B suppresses the production of several pro-inflammatory signaling molecules while promoting the formation of endogenous mediators that may help terminate inflammation and protect from ferroptotic cell death. The natural product also influences lipid metabolism by reducing the accumulation of neutral lipids in immune cells and cocultures with liver cell. Since excessive lipid accumulation is a major driver of chronic low-grade inflammation and the progression of diseases such as fatty liver disease, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer, these findings are of particular relevance.
Taken together, Mitrephorone B exemplifies and underscores the potential of natural products to act as multi-target modulators of intricate biological networks, an essential feature for addressing complex diseases.
Currently, Lorenz Waltl is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Human Genetics, Medical University of Innsbruck (Austria), where he aims to extend his research into a translational and human-relevant context
