Stiftung Prof. Dr. Max Cloëtta

Förderung und Unterstützung der medizinischen Forschung

Die Professor Dr. Max Cloëtta Stiftung unterstützt und fördert die medizinische Forschung sowie verwandte naturwissenschaftliche Disziplinen in der Schweiz.

Stiftung Prof. Dr. Max Cloëtta

Förderung und Unterstützung der medizinischen Forschung

Die Stiftung Prof. Dr. Max Cloëtta unterstützt und fördert die medizinische Forschung sowie verwandte Disziplinen der Naturwissenschaften in der Schweiz.

The Cloëtta Prize 2025 is awarded to a researcher from ETH Zurich and a research duo from the University of Geneva.

Zurich. For the 52nd time, the Professor Dr. Max Cloëtta Foundation is presenting its renowned prize for medical research. The prize in 2025 is awarded for their outstanding research to:

Dr. Virginie Hamel and Professor Paul Guichard, co-leaders of a research group in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Geneva, and Professor Nicola Aceto, Full Professor of Molecular Oncology at ETH Zurich.

Virginie Hamel and Paul Guichard

Dr. Hamel and Professor Guichard have significantly advanced our understanding of centrioles and cilia, tiny cellular structures crucial for cell division and genetic integrity, as well as for cell motility. They pioneered Ultrastructural Expansion Microscopy (U-ExM), a groundbreaking imaging method that physically enlarges biological samples, making nanoscale details visible with standard microscopes. Their discoveries have opened new avenues for gene therapies, including applications in rare genetic diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, and are now also being applied to cancer immunotherapy, creating a pioneering bridge between basic research and clinical medicine.

Nicola Aceto

Professor Aceto has made groundbreaking discoveries on the mechanisms of cancer metastasis. He revealed the central role of circulating tumour cell clusters (CTC clusters) in the formation of metastases and identified their key biological properties, including stem cell-like features, interactions with immune cells, and circadian timing of their release. Building on these insights, his team has developed novel therapeutic strategies to disrupt CTC clusters, with promising proof-of-concept results already shown in breast cancer patients. His vision is to develop innovative therapies to curb metastasis in aggressive cancers, thereby combining excellent basic research with tangible clinical perspectives.

Venue

The Cloëtta award ceremony will take place on October 31, 2025, at 5:00 pm in the Semperaula of ETH Zurich.

Registration

To attend the 2025 Cloëtta Award ceremony as a guest, please register via the following: link:  https://forms.gle/XrMtAaGzyfVF6Eww8

24. Sep. 2025

Wir unterstützen medizinische Forschung

„Die Forschungsförderung in der Schweiz ist nicht ausschliesslich eine Aufgabe unserer Regierung. Im Gegenteil: Zwei Drittel der für Forschung und Entwicklung bereitgestellten Mittel stammen aus der Wirtschaft. Auch private Stiftungen spielen in dieser Hinsicht eine sehr wichtige Rolle. Namhafte Preise – wie der Cloëtta-Preis – unterstreichen die Bedeutung von Stiftungen für die Wissenschaft.

Ruth Dreifuss, Bundesrätin
Band 1 der Monographie Professor Dr. Max Cloëtta Stiftung

Arzt hält Petrischale in der Hand