Memento Research Prize 2024 for Hamburg tropical medicine specialist
The Memento Alliance honours the commitment of Prof. Michael Ramharter of BNITM and UKE to combating the African eye worm
Prof. Michael Ramharter of the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf has been awarded the Memento Research Prize 2024. The award honours his many years of research into the tropical disease loiasis, which is caused by the eye worm Loa loa. The award ceremony took place at the Berlin Museum of Medical History at the Charité.
Loiasis is an infectious disease caused by the worm Loa loa, which occurs in rural and often inaccessible forest and savannah areas of West and Central Africa. The worm is transmitted by the bite of a horsefly and can move around in the human body for years, sometimes even into the eye, which has given the parasite the name ‘eye worm’. Infected patients often experience persistent headaches, limb pain and severe itching. The disease burden is enormous. Yet, Loiasis is not included in the World Health Organization's (WHO) list of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
For more than ten years, Prof. Ramharter and his colleagues from Hamburg and Gabon have been researching the neglected infectious disease and its effects. The scientists are working intensively on the development of new drugs, as the ones currently available are not only outdated but also have considerable side effects. In addition to developing safe and more effective therapies, the research group aims to raise awareness of loiasis and the burden it places on rural populations in sub-Saharan Africa. The team estimates that around 23.6 million patients are chronically infected with Loa loa, often for life.
According to the jury, during his many years of intensive research into loiasis Michael Ramharter has not only significantly advanced our understanding of this neglected tropical disease, but also opened up new avenues for its prevention, diagnosis and treatment. In his laudatory speech, Prof. Klaus Brehm emphasised Ramharter's extraordinary commitment to the affected population groups in Gabon. Through his initiatives to educate and strengthen local health infrastructures, Ramharter has made a decisive contribution to improving the living conditions of the local people.
‘I am very pleased that our team is being honoured for its work,’ said Prof. Ramharter at the award ceremony in Berlin. ‘In the affected areas, more than 70% of the adult population is often infected with the eye worm. If this were to affect the population of Berlin or Paris, there would be an outcry to develop and provide adequate medical care. We urgently need to devote more attention and resources to combating this disease.’
Background
The Memento Award for Neglected Diseases was established in 2014 by Ärzte ohne Grenzen, Brot für die Welt, BUKO Pharma-Kampagne and DAHW Deutsche Lepra- und Tuberkulosehilfe e.V. The annual award honours outstanding commitment in the fight against neglected diseases and, in addition to scientific research projects, also includes journalistic initiatives that draw attention to neglected health needs through comprehensive reporting. The prizes are endowed with 5,000 euros each.
Contact person
Prof. Dr Michael Ramharter
Klinische Forschung
Phone : +49 40 285380-511
Email : ramharter@bnitm.de
Julia Rauner
Public Relations
Phone : +49 40 285380-264
Email : presse@bnitm.de
Dr Anna Hein
Public Relations
Phone : +49 40 285380-269
Email : presse@bnitm.de
Further information
