Greifswald (dpa/mv) - The Greifswald scientist Andreas Greinacher has again been honored for his work on rare but dangerous side effects of certain corona vaccinations. The University Medicine Greifswald (UMG) announced on Thursday that he would receive the prize for biochemical analysis. The head of transfusion medicine at the UMG, together with his team, quickly clarified the mechanism of the side effect, developed a test procedure and a therapy at the same time.
Greinacher had been dealing with the question of why the vaccine, especially from Astrazeneca, had triggered thrombosis in the brain in very rare cases, which also resulted in death, since spring 2021. Vaccination with the vaccine had been suspended in Germany because of the complications. Together with his team and in cooperation with other university hospitals, Greinacher was able to identify a connection with certain antibodies relatively quickly and to name a remedy that prevents thrombosis.
Greinacher, whose team said it worked practically around the clock, reported on the progress in weekly video conferences in real time. Media from all over the world joined in at the time.
The prize for biochemical analysis is awarded by the German Society for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine. According to its own statements, it honors outstanding scientific work in the field of biochemical and molecular analysis. According to the UMG, Greinacher shares this year's prize with the biochemist Kai Simons and the analytical chemist Andrej Shevchenko, who have jointly developed a method for detecting lipids.
According to the UMG, it is the third major award for Greinacher in connection with his work on the side effects of vaccination. Just a few days ago, the scientific network around Greinacher was awarded the German University Medicine Prize by the Medical Faculty Association and the Association of German University Hospitals. A year earlier, the thrombosis action alliance had awarded him the Virchow Prize.
