Prof. Cursiefen receives von Graefe Prize 2024

In memory of its founder, the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG), the oldest specialist ophthalmological society in the world, has established the “von Graefe Prize”. This year’s recipient is Prof. Dr. Claus Cursiefen, Director of the Center for Ophthalmology at Cologne University Hospital. The “von Graefe Prize” has been awarded every two years since 1876 for particularly outstanding scientific achievements in the field of ophthalmology in German-speaking countries. In accordance with the statutes, the prizewinner then gives the “von Graefe Lecture” during the DOG Congress the following year. After Dr. Samelsohn in 1885 and Prof. Krieglstein in 2008, Prof. Cursiefen is the third person from Cologne to receive this prestigious award. Dr. Samelsohn, a student of von Graefe’s, was the founder of academic ophthalmology in Cologne.

Prof. Cursiefen and his team have developed numerous strategies to optimize the long-term success of corneal transplants, as stated during the award ceremony which was held at the opening session in Berlin. He not only optimized the various surgical techniques of corneal transplantation, but also made a significant contribution to reducing the immunological rejection reaction of transplants.

The Department of Ophthalmology at Cologne University Hospital transplants the most corneas in Germany and has its own cornea bank. The award-winning research work was carried out in the context of the DFG research group FOR 2240 and the CRC 1607.

“A big thank you goes to all our colleagues in our Department of Ophthalmology and in the CRC 1607 for their excellent research on combating age-associated diseases and on immune reactions after transplantation,” said Prof. Cursiefen.

Photo: Ludolf Dahmen