Henning Receives Loeffler-Frosch Prize 2026

Bild: MedizinFoto Köln, Michael Wodak

Henning, senior physician and scientist in our group at the Institute of Virology at the University Hospital Cologne, received the Loeffler-Frosch Prize 2026 during the 35th annual meeting of the German Society for Virology in Heidelberg.

The award, endowed with €5,000, honors his outstanding and pioneering contributions to the field of virus-neutralizing antibodies and the development of innovative antibody-mediated therapeutic approaches against viral infections. Presented by Europe’s largest virology society, the Loeffler-Frosch Prize is among the most important scientific distinctions in virology and is named after Friedrich Loeffler and Paul Frosch, pioneers of modern virology and first describers of an animal virus.

Henning’s research focuses on understanding how the human immune system responds to infectious diseases and vaccination. A major emphasis of his work lies in the study of neutralizing antibodies against viruses such as HIV and SARS-CoV-2.

By combining fundamental laboratory research with translational clinical studies, he has made key contributions to the development of several antiviral antibodies that are currently being evaluated in humans. His current work includes the development of novel delivery strategies for antibody-based therapies and the investigation of antibody–virus interactions to improve future antiviral treatment concepts.