[Science News] Davor Solter receives the 2026 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize

Max Planck director honoured for the discovery of genomic imprinting

To the point

• Awarded: Davor Solter, Max Planck Emeritus, is receives the 2026 Paul Ehrlich & Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize together with Azim Surani for their “discovery of the phenomenon of genomic imprinting”.
• Basic rule of genetics: Our genes are packed together in chromosomes in the nuclei of our cells. Each germ cell (egg or sperm) contains 23 chromosomes. Each body cell contains a double set of chromosomes. One comes from the mother's germ cell, the other from the father's germ cell. All body cells therefore contain two active copies of the same gene.
• Discovery: In 1984, Davor Solter and Azim Surani overturned this rule as they discovered independently of each other that some genes are only inherited in one active copy – either the maternal or the paternal copy is permanently deactivated.
• New field of research: With this phenomenon called “genomic imprinting”, they opened the door to epigenetics. Today, it is a central pillar of biomedical research.

https://www.mpg.de/25426833/davor-solter-paul-ehrlich-and-ludwig-darmstaedter-prize-2026?c=2249