Research / 27.03.2026
Friedrich Stolz Award for the Tubulis Team

The Medicinal Chemistry Division of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh) and the Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry Division of the Deutsche Pharmazeutische Gesellschaft (DPhG) have awarded the Friedrich Stolz Award 2026 to the team from Tubulis, a spin-off of the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie and LMU Munich. Honored are Prof. Dr. Christian Hackenberger from the Leibniz-FMP as co-founder and advisor and Dr. Jonas Helma-Smets, co-founder and CSO, Dr. Marc-André Kasper, VP Chemistry and Early Discovery and Dr. Annette Vogl, VP Biology and Translational Research, from Tubulis.

The Friedrich Stolz Award recognizes exceptional dedication, scientific discoveries, or innovative technologies with proven relevance that contribute to substantial therapeutic innovation or sustainable development and go beyond early research stages.

The Tubulis team was awarded for their P5 ethynylphosphonamidate conjugation chemistry, enabling a novel type of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).The conjugation chemistry, also termed P5-labeling, was developed at FMP in the research unit of Christian Hackenberger. This new ADC class is characterized by exceptional plasma stability, favorable pharmacokinetic properties, and pronounced anti-tumor efficacy. Building on this, NaPi2b-targeting exatecan ADCs with particularly stable linkers, reduced off-target toxicity, and optimized molecular architecture were generated. The culmination of this work is the development candidate TUB-040, which in a clinical Phase 1 study in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer demonstrates promising tumor remissions, a wide therapeutic window, and good tolerability. This work shows how innovative chemistry can be directly translated into novel, potentially more effective treatment options for hard-to-treat cancers.

The prize is awarded in memory of industrial pharmacist and drug researcher Friedrich Stolz, whose visionary innovative power serves as a model for application-oriented, therapeutically relevant research.

Photo: Awarded the Friedrich Stolz Prize: Prof. Dr. Stefan Laufer (GDCh), Prof. Dr. Christian Hackenberger, Dr. Annette Vogl, Dr. Jonas Helma-Smets and Dr. Franz von Nussbaum (from left to right). © GDCh

Source: FMP
Friedrich Stolz Award for the Tubulis Team