27.05.2026
News
Georg Friedrich Götz Prize for CCCZ Member Raphael Morscher
We congratulate Raphael Morscher on receiving the 2026 Georg Friedrich Götz Prize. The award recognizes his research on new therapeutic approaches for neuroblastoma, a particularly aggressive form of childhood cancer.
Award recipient Raphael Morscher with the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Frank Rühli, and the Vice President Medicine Zurich, Beatrice Beck-Schimmer. (Image: Christoph Stulz/USZ)
Raphael Morscher and his team at the University Children’s Hospital Zurich are investigating how cancer cell metabolism can be targeted therapeutically. In their recent work, they demonstrated that neuroblastoma cells can be placed under metabolic stress through the combination of a drug treatment and a specifically adapted diet. This approach not only slowed tumor growth, but also promoted the differentiation of cancer cells toward mature nerve cells.
Building on these findings, the researchers are now preparing a clinical study together with international partners to further evaluate this therapeutic strategy in children with cancer. The work also contributes to ongoing research activities within the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) “Children & Cancer”.
The findings were published in the journal Nature.
Institution
University Children’s Hospital Zurich
