Anne Spang awarded distinction of AAAS Fellow

The jury of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) recognized Prof. Anne Spang's research, “particularly using yeast and nematode models to reveal mechanisms of membrane vesicle sorting, secretion, and endocytosis." Professor Anne Spang at the Biozentrum, University of Basel, is thus receiving the AAAS Fellow award for her “distinguished contributions to the fields of cell biology and biochemistry.” The total of 471 newly elected AAAS fellows will be celebrated at a forum in Washington, D.C. on June 7, 2025.

Investigating molecular transport in cells

Professor Anne Spang and her team investigate molecular transport processes in cells, particularly the distribution of proteins and mRNA molecules. These mechanisms are crucial for cell function, development, and organ formation. Disruptions in the distribution process, whether in transport or recycling, can lead to diseases such as cancer or autoimmune diseases. One focus of her research is intracellular transport, especially the plasma membrane and the Golgi apparatus. She also investigates how cells respond to stress. The findings contribute to the understanding of developmental processes, stem cell biology, and cancer development.

Researcher at the Biozentrum

Biochemist and cell biologist Anne Spang studied chemical engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Darmstadt and subsequently biochemistry at the University Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris. After earning her PhD at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried in 1996, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, in the group of the Nobel Laureate Prof. Randy Schekman. Before being appointed to professor at the Biozentrum, she was an independent research group leader at the Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society in Tübingen. Anne Spang has received numerous awards for her research: She was elected to the prestigious German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and EMBO. Most recently Anne Spang was honored with the 2024 Lelio Orci Award for her research in the field of intracellular organization.

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

The AAAS is the world’s largest scientific association and publisher of the renowned scientific journal “Science”. Founded in 1848, the association unites some 260 affiliated scientific societies and academies of science and their around ten million members. Each year, the AAAS elects several of its members to become Fellows. The complete list of the new AAAS Fellows will also be published in the journal "Science” in May 2025.