New MPIB research group leader Thierry Nordmann awarded prestigious Oscar Gans Prize

Thierry Nordmann, head of the new research group “Molecular and Spatial Biology of the Skin” at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, receives the prestigious Oscar Gans Prize in 2025 for his groundbreaking research on severe skin reactions.

Dr. Thierry Nordmann, a clinician-scientist and trained dermatologist, leads a new research group at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (MPIB) since April 2025. Using mass spectrometry-based proteomics, he is analyzing the protein composition of clinical samples to understand the molecular basis of various skin diseases. He has now been awarded the prestigious 2025 Oscar Gans Prize for his groundbreaking work on the role of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway in toxic epidermal necrolysis. The prize, worth €10,000, was awarded by the German Dermatological Society (DDG) on April 30 in Berlin during the DDG's annual conference.

Understanding life-threatening skin reactions

The skin is our largest organ and a highly active immunological barrier to the outside world. Skin diseases range from mild symptoms to life-threatening reactions. Thierry Nordmann, who in addition to his research work is also a senior physician in the Department of Dermatology and Allergy at the Ludwig Maximilian University Hospital, is investigating the molecular patterns of skin diseases. “My goal is to decipher these mechanisms in order to enable more targeted therapies,” the scientist explains.

Thierry Nordmann has been working at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry since 2021 and has gained extensive expertise in proteomics research as a postdoctoral fellow in the renowned laboratory of Professor Matthias Mann. His research focus has been on the proteomic analysis of severe drug reactions, in particular toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) – a rare but potentially fatal skin reaction to medication. Using a novel method called “deep visual proteomics,” developed in Matthias Mann's laboratory, Thierry Nordmann succeeded in identifying the activation of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway as the driving force behind this disease. This discovery led to the first use of JAK inhibitors as a targeted therapy for this condition. After successful preclinical studies, seven patients treated with this approach showed rapid improvement.

Thierry Nordmann explains: “We are excited that proteomics research has directly led to a clinically relevant therapeutic approach to be proposed for this serious disease.” The study has attracted considerable interest within the scientific community and beyond. (Further information on the study can be found here.)

Oscar Gans Prize 2025

Thierry Nordmann has now been honored with the Oscar Gans Prize 2025 for his outstanding research work. The prize was awarded on April 30 at the 53rd Meeting of the German Dermatological Society (DDG) in Berlin. Matthias Mann says: “In a most impressing way, Thierry Nordmann combines basic research in molecular biology with technological innovations in proteomics  and clinical applications in dermatology. His research outcome saves lives and demonstrates most excellently the potential of proteomics in regard to translational medicine.”

New research group with cutting-edge goals

With his new research group, “Molecular and Spatial Biology of the Skin,” Thierry Nordmann will continue to advance skin research at the MPIB. “The success of our TEN study motivates me enormously for future work,” he explains. “We use the skin as a model system to investigate fundamental biological mechanisms of inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and skin cancer.”

The scientist will continue to focus on the strengths of mass spectrometry proteomics and combine them with artificial intelligence methods. “Our goal is to identify disease-defining molecular patterns with direct medical relevance. We are particularly focusing on dermatological diseases where mechanistic insights can significantly improve clinical practice.

About Thierry Nordmann

Dr. med. Dr. phil. nat. Thierry Nordmann grew up in Switzerland and the US, and studied medicine at the Universities of Basel and Zurich. He completed his MD-PhD program at the University Hospital Basel with support from a competitive grant of the Swiss National Science Foundation. He obtained his doctorate in medicine (Dr. med.) in 2015 and his doctorate in natural sciences (Dr. phil. nat.) in 2016. After completing his clinical training as a specialist in dermatology and venereology (2021), he moved to Munich and worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction under the supervision of Professor Matthias Mann. Since 2024, he is also a senior physician in  the Department of at the LMU Hospital.

About the Oscar Gans Prize

The Oscar Gans Prize is awarded to outstanding scientists who have made a significant contribution to dermatological research for particularly high-quality and innovative work with clinical relevance in experimental dermatology. The prize is awarded every two years by the German Dermatological Society and supported by the company Galderma.

 

Glossary
Deep Visual Proteomics: a spatial proteomics method developed in the laboratory of Professor Matthias Mann (Mund et al., Nature Biotechnology, 2022). This method combines modern microscopy, artificial intelligence, laser microdissection and ultra-sensitive mass spectrometry.

JAK inhibitors: are drugs that inhibit the JAK (Janus kinase) protein and thus block the JAK/STAT signaling pathway.

JAK/STAT signaling pathway: is a signaling pathway occurring in cells in which the JAK (Janus kinase) protein and the STAT protein (Signal Transducers and Activator of Transcription) are involved. This pathway is critical for various cellular processes, including inflammation, cell growth, and differentiation.

Mass spectrometry: is an analytical technique that separates and measures ions according to their mass-to-charge ratio to identify and quantify chemical substances or molecules. It is a cornerstone technology in proteomics, enabling the identification and quantification of thousands of proteins in complex biological samples.

Omics technology: is a collective term for a group of methods in biotechnology and biology that enable the global analysis of biomolecules in biological systems. The methodology has the potential to show the overall context of biological systems. Common “omics” technologies are: Genomics: examines the entire genome, i.e., the entirety of DNA in a cell; Transcriptomics: analyzes the entire set of RNA molecules produced in a cell. Proteomics: examines the entire set of proteins produced by a cell or organism. Metabolomics: the study of all the metabolites in a cell and epigenomics: the study of all the epigenetic modifications in a genetic material.

Proteome: comprises the totality of all proteins in a living organism, a tissue or a cell at a specific point in time. The proteome is highly dynamic and reacts to the requirements of the cell, as well as to diseases or environmental influences.

Proteomics: is the study of the proteome.