Pediatric Healthcare Research
Thorsten Langer
Pediatric epileptology
Jan Schönberger and Julia Jacobs
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Primary Immunodeficiencies
Carsten Speckmann
Understanding Vascular Anomalies
Friedrich Kapp
Oncogenic Signaling and Epigenetics in Hematological Malignancies
Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy
Improving Intensive Care Outcomes
Hans Fuchs
Fatty acid oxidation disorders: risk stratification, disease modifiers and metabolic networks
Ute Spiekerkötter
Clinical Trials and Registries
Study Office
Pathophysiology of kidney disease in inborn errors of (energy) metabolism
Anke Schumann
Hematopoiesis and Leukemogenesis
Miriam Erlacher
Cellular Innate Immunity
Philipp Henneke
Neuromuscular Diseases in Children and Adolescents
Astrid Pechmann
MetaboCF
MetaboCF
Pediatric Sarcomas
Simone Hettmer
Improving treatment in glycogen storage diseases and fatty acid oxidation defects
Sarah Grünert
Rare Blood Disorders and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Brigitte Strahm
EPIdiagnosis and EPItherapy of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia
Christian Flotho
Metabolism and Cofactor Enzymology
Luciana Hannibal
Cell and Gene Therapy
Tobias Feuchtinger
Targeting and Overcoming Chemoresistance in Acute Leukemia
Christina Mayerhofer
Pediatric Antiviral Immunity and Innate Inflammatory Signaling
Roland Elling
Inherited and acquired disorders of primary and secondary hemostasis
Barbara Zieger
Environmental Pathogens in Extreme Prematurity
Daniel Klotz
Hilda Biobank Freiburg
Hilda Biobank
Human T cell Immunodeficiencies
Stephan Ehl
Rare Disease Genetics
Miriam Schmidts
Research is central to the work of the Freiburg Center for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Our research strengths represent a wide spectrum of pediatric research. Our basic and translational research stimulates new understandings of disease mechanisms and inspires new approaches to treatment. Through our clinical research we test novel therapies which have been specifically adapted or newly developed to suit the needs of children and young people. And our healthcare research drives improvements that enable delivery of better care for children and their families in a complex and changing environment.
On the Research pages of this site, our leading researchers showcase their work. For more information about the Freiburg Center for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, please visit our pages on the website of the Freiburg University Medical Center.
About the Freiburg Center for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
Over €9.4 million
In 2024, the Freiburg Center for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine received over €9.4 million in external funding and grants.
Nine Collaborative Research Centers
The Freiburg Center for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine coordinates two and participates in several further DFG-funded Collaborative Research Centers (SFBs, Transregios, Forschungsgruppen or Excellence Clusters):
- SFB 1160 "IMPATH: Immune-mediated pathology as a consequence of impaired immune reactions" (Speaker: Stephan Ehl, Pediatric Immunology)
- SFB 992 "Medical Epigenetics"
- SFB 1453 "Nephgen"
- FOR 5547 "Entschlüsselung der Rolle der primären Ziliendynamik in der Gewebeorganisation und –funktion"
- CRC 1597 "small data"
- CIBSS "Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies"
- SFB/TRR167 "NeuroMac: Development, function and potential of myeloid cells in the central nervous system"
- SFB/TRR338 "Lymphocyte Engineering for Therapeutic Synthetic Immunity"
- SFB/TRR359 "PILOT: Perinatal Development of Immune Cell Topology"(Speaker: Philipp Henneke, Pediatric Infectious Diseases)
Six European Reference Networks
In association with the Freiburg Center for Rare Diseases, we are involved in six of the European Reference Networks for Rare Diseases:
- ERN-BOND for rare bone diseases
- EURO-NMD for rare neuromuscular diseases
- MetabERN for rare hereditary metabolic disorders
- PaedCan-ERN for pediatric cancer/hemato-oncology
- ERN-RITA for rare immunodeficiency, autoinflammatory and autoimmune diseases
- VASCERN for rare multisystemic vascular diseases.
210 publications
In 2024, our researchers were authors on over 210 scientific publications.
110 clinical trials & registry studies
In 2024, the Freiburg Center for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine enrolled participants in over 110 clinical trials and register studies via our Study Office.
Research centers & networks
Researchers from the Freiburg Center for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine play a key role in many regional, national and international research centers and graduate colleges, including:
- the German Cancer Research Center (DKTK) and the Comprehensive Cancer Center Freiburg (CCCF)
- the Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency (CCI)
- the PRIMAL Consortium ("Priming Immunity at the Beginning of Life")
- the iMACnet project ("Genetically corrected iPSC-derived macrophages (i-MAC) for innovative gene therapeutic strategies")
- the Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine
- the SFB/TRR338 LETSimmun „Lymphocyte Engineering for Therapeutic Synthetic Immunity“
Recent News
Sophia Galle erhält die Nachwuchsforschungsförderung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Pädiatrische Infektiologie e.V.
Im Rahmen des diesjährigen Kongresses für Infektionskrankheiten und Tropenmedizin wurde Sophia Galle die Nachwuchsforschungsförderung 2025/2026 der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Pädiatrische Infektiologie e.V. verliehen. Frau Galle promoviert in der pädiatrischen Migrationsmedizin (Dr. Benedikt Spielberger, Prof. Markus Hufnagel) mit Begleitung [...]
Helmut Wolf Prize for Sophia Galle
Ms. Sophia Galle was awarded the Helmut Wolf Prize on the occasion of the 44th Annual Meeting of the Society for Tropical Paediatrics and International Child Health (GTP). The prize, endowed with 500 euros, was [...]
ERNA BRUNNER PRIZE for Dr. Christina Mayerhofer
February 2026: Dr. Christina Mayerhofer, Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Centre Freiburg was awarded the ERNA BRUNNER PRIZE 2025. With this award, the foundation of the Förderverein für krebskranke Kinder Tübingen is recognizing [...]