Excellent collaboration: iGUARD project by researchers from MHH and Fraunhofer ITEM receives Lower Saxony Innovation Award

07.11.2025

An interdisciplinary research team led by BREATH scientist Prof. Dr. Armin Braun from the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine (ITEM) and Prof. Dr. Dr. Axel Schambach from Hannover Medical School (MHH) has received the Lower Saxony Innovation Award 2025. The award-winning project, “iGUARD – Inhalable RNA Therapeutics for Targeted Treatment of Lung Diseases,” won in the category “Knowledge and Technology Transfer.” The researchers accepted the award at a formal ceremony in Hanover from Falko Mohrs, Lower Saxony’s Minister for Science and Culture. The prize, presented by the Niedersachsen.next innovation network, is endowed with €20,000.

Active Ingredient Reaches the Lungs Directly

Despite successful vaccine developments, there are still no effective medications for most viral diseases. The iGUARD team aims to change that. In a collaboration between MHH and Fraunhofer ITEM, the consortium is developing RNA-based medicines for people with severe lung diseases.

The active substances can be rapidly adapted to different viruses, providing protection against newly emerging infectious diseases. A patented chemical structure of the RNA enables the therapeutics to be inhaled directly into the lungs—enhancing efficacy and reducing side effects. Due to its high flexibility, the technology is also suitable for accelerating the development of additional antiviral therapies. The iGUARD team is already working on treatments for other lung diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis and asthma.

An Innovative Therapeutic Approach

The iGUARD project has already received multiple rounds of funding as part of the SPRIND Challenge by the Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation. “We are very pleased about this recognition,” says Prof. Dr. Armin Braun. “The award confirms that our translational approach—from basic research to application—is the right path toward developing new therapies for viral lung diseases.”

BREATH scientist Dr. Philippe Vollmer Barbosa, who conducts research at both Fraunhofer ITEM and MHH, adds: “This award motivates us to further develop the technology and make it available to patients as quickly as possible.”

The project involves the MHH Institute of Experimental Hematology (Prof. Dr. Dr. Axel Schambach, Prof. Dr. Dr. Adrian Schwarzer) and the Department of Preclinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at Fraunhofer ITEM (Prof. Dr. Armin Braun, Dr. Philippe Vollmer Barbosa).

Nearly 100 Applications

The Lower Saxony Innovation Award has been presented annually since 2016 by the Niedersachsen.next innovation network in the categories “Knowledge and Technology Transfer” and “Key Technologies.” It honors projects that promote collaboration between science and industry or enable technological breakthroughs.

The patrons of the award are Science Minister Falko Mohrs and Economics Minister Grant Hendrik Tonne. This year, nearly 100 applications were submitted for the prize.

Text: MHH/Kirsten Pötzke

The iGuard-project-team with scientists from MHH and Fraunhofer ITEM: Dr. Adrian Schwarzern, Prof. Dr. Armin Braun, Dr. Philippe Vollmer Barbosa, Prof. Dr. Axel Schambach (v.l.)

Lower Saxony’s Minister for Science, Falko Mohrs, presents the Lower Saxony Innovation Award to the representatives of the iGUARD project team.

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