Cell News 04/2019
4
PREFACE
Natural sciences look back to a year full of exciting discover-
ies and new perspectives but also challenges and crises. The
challenges we are facing are complicated and multi-layered.
They reach from global climate change to local loss of ecosys-
tems. Science has been and will be responsible to communi-
cate the facts and to warrant a rational discussion about the
problems and possible solutions to them. Cell biology stands in
the centre of life sciences, sometimes so central and possibly
too obvious to be realised as a discipline of highest importance.
It will be the mission of our society to highlight the enormous
potential of modern cell biology for basic and translational
research, but also to undeceive the public and politics for a
reasonable debate about future chances and challenges.
Our meetings are the best way to document the lively commu-
nication within the community and beyond. This year’s meeting
together with the GBM in Tübingen provided an excellent
example of joining forces and identifying common, shared
interests. Perfectly organised by Tassula Proikas-Cezanne and
her team, the meeting started with presentations open to the
public and a round table discussion with scientists, journalists
and politicians. Outstanding science, focused on Autophagy,
was further mixed with excellent presentations from our prize
winners and the laureates of the GBM. Constantinos Demetri-
ades was awarded with the Walther Flemming Award, spon-
sored by the European Journal of Cell Biology. Meritxell Huch
received the BINDER Innovation Prize, Germán Camargo Ortega
was honoured for the Nikon Young Scientist Award, Esther Bo-
vay received the Werner Risau Prize. Please take the time and
enjoy the great contributions of our prize winners once more
here in this issue of CellNews.
With best wishes for Christmas and a Happy New Year 2020!
The board of the German Society for Cell Biology
Dear Friends, Dear Colleagues
of the German Society for Cell Biology!
