Dr. Hanhan Liu wins Helmholtz Research Prize at this year’s DOG

Dr. Hanhan Liu, a Clinical Scientist at the University Hospital Cologne’s Department of Ophthalmology, has been awarded the DOG-Helmholtz Research Prize at this year’s DOG (German Society of Ophthalmology) meeting in Berlin.

The Helmholtz Research Prize, endowed with €5,000 by Bayer Vital GmbH, honors young ophthalmologists under 40 for their achievements in integrating basic research with clinical applications, recognizing their potential for further significant contributions to the field. Dr. Liu’s received this award for her groundbreaking work titled “The role of hydrogen sulfide and ferroptosis in glaucoma”.
As one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide, glaucoma continues to pose a major challenge in ophthalmology. Dr. Liu’s research helps deepen the understanding of this complex disease and pave new avenues for more targeted therapies.

Supported by the Cologne Clinician Scientist Program and Prof. Dr. Verena Prokosch, her research on hydrogen sulfide as a neuroprotective treatment has previously earned her the DOG Glaucoma Research Prize in 2018 and 2022, as well as the Rhenish-Westphalian Ophthalmologists’ Science Prize in 2021.
In addition to her awarded research, Dr. Liu is co-principal Investigator with Prof. Aleksandra Trifunovic in CRC 1607’s Project C01, which investigates mitochondrial dysfunction and neuroinflammation in glaucoma—crucial areas for understanding the disease and developing targeted therapies.