Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year 2026 awarded to Georg Schett
The research of Prof. Dr. Georg Schett from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) has been awarded the Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year 2026 in the Life Sciences category. His work opens new perspectives for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases. With the title “Breaking the Wall of Autoimmune Diseases”, Schett will present his scientific breakthrough at the Falling Walls Science Summit in November in Berlin.
From cancer medicine to treating autoimmune diseases
The research by Prof. Dr. Schett and the interdisciplinary team in Erlangen is considered groundbreaking for new therapy approaches in autoimmune diseases. In his work, he transfers an approach from cancer medicine to autoimmune diseases: Using CAR-T cells, disease-causing cells are specifically eliminated, effectively reprogramming the immune system to a healthy state. “Our strategy is no longer about suppressing a sick immune system, but about creating a new, healthy one. This eliminates the need for medications like cortisone and other immunosuppressants,” explains Georg Schett, Director of the Department of Medicine 3 – Rheumatology and Immunology at Uniklinikum Erlangen and Vice President Research at FAU.
Thanks to Georg Schett’s work, clinical trials using CAR T-cells in patients with autoimmune diseases are now being conducted worldwide. This includes patients with lupus, scleroderma, myositis, and arthritis, as well as other severe conditions such as inflammatory bowel diseases and multiple sclerosis.
Science Breakthrough of the Year 2026
For the award, candidates were first selected from international applications and evaluated by an international panel of experts. In the Life Sciences category, Georg Schett was initially among the ten finalists. The jury then selected his research as the Science Breakthrough of the Year 2026 in the Life Sciences.
This makes Schett one of the five researchers or research teams to be honored as Science Breakthrough of the Year 2026 in the categories Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Engineering & Technology, Social Sciences & Humanities, and Art & Science. The winners will present their research on November 9 on stage at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin.
The Falling Walls Science Summit is an international forum for scientific breakthroughs and dialog between science, policy, business, and society. The event takes place annually in Berlin around the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The central question is “Which are the next walls to fall?” – which scientific and technological barriers can be overcome next? At the summit, researchers and innovators from around the world come together to present their latest work, discuss new developments, and network across disciplinary and national borders.
Contact
Prof. Dr. med. Georg Schett
Vice President Research
Director of Department of Medicine 3 – Rheumatology and Immunology
georg.schett@fau.de