ÖGAI Announces Recipients of 2026 Prestigious Scientific Medals: Cezmi Akdis and Mübeccel Akdis
The Austrian Society for Allergology and Immunology (ÖGAI) has officially announced the distinguished awardees of its 2026 scientific medals. Professors Cezmi Akdis and Mübeccel Akdis have been honored for their groundbreaking research contributions to international allergology and immunology.
The Austrian Society for Allergology and Immunology presented the 2026 Clemens von Pirquet Medal and the Karl Landsteiner Medals to recognize outstanding scientists who have established profound connections with the society. Prof. Cezmi Akdis, Director of the Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), received the Clemens von Pirquet Medal for his revolutionary development of the epithelial barrier theory, which successfully identifies eighty distinct diseases linked to epithelial barrier damage that affect over two billion patients globally. Prof. Mübeccel Akdis, also a prominent group leader at SIAF, was honored with the Karl Landsteiner Medal for her extensive research into the mechanisms of immune tolerance to allergens and regulatory B cells, outstanding achievements highlighted by an h-index of ninety-nine and more than thirty-three thousand citations.
These prestigious accolades underscore the critical real-world impact these researchers have made on modern molecular medicine and clinical allergy therapeutic solutions.