Malpighi Prize for physiologist Markus Sperandio

Enlarge

BMC Group Leader Markus Sperandio receives the Malpighi Award from the European Society of Microcirculation (ESM). The ESM's highest award is presented every two years to individuals with an outstanding international reputation in the field of microcirculation and microvascular research.

Markus Sperandio is Professor of Microcirculation Physiology at the Biomedical Center of the LMU. His laboratory focuses on the molecular mechanisms that enable neutrophils - the first immune cells to become active during inflammation - to specifically seek out sites of tissue damage or infection. Sperandio and his team follow the path of these cells from the inside of blood vessels to the affected tissue, and he is being awarded the prize by the European Society for Microcirculation (ESM).

A major research focus of his laboratory is the development of these processes in the foetus and newborn (perinatal period). He is investigating how neutrophil function develops during fetal and early postnatal development. Sperandio is also interested in the role of sugar molecules and certain signalling molecules that guide neutrophils to inflamed or damaged sites in the body. His research contributes significantly to the understanding of microcirculation and immune cell migration.

Markus Sperandio will receive the Malpighi Award at the ESM Annual Meeting in Szeged, Hungary, at the end of May. He will deliver a Malpighi Lecture and receive the Golden Malpighi Medal.