News 2025

How does a scientific discovery become a patent? Using the example of novel active ingredients from lime blossoms, the University of Münster shows how research, legal expertise, and targeted funding work together to bring innovations from the field of pharmacy into practical application.

On 26 February 2026, the 7th Chembion Symposium will take place at the PharmaCampus of the University of Münster, featuring renowned international speakers from academia and industry. In addition to the scientific lectures, a poster session will offer PhD candidates and MedK students - also from outside the Chembion program - the opportunity to present their research (abstract submission deadline: 7 February 2026).

The interdisciplinary REpAiR project team (University of Münster) aims at the dissolution of calcifications and has developed nanoparticles for drug transport to the retina. The project is supported by the BMFTR (funding of 1.6 million euros).

As part of the cooperation between the PharmaCampus and Chungnam National University in Daejeon, South Korea, Münster student Martha Marquardt completed a four-month internship at the College of Pharmacy after her eighth semester. She shares her experiences at the university and impressions of South Korea in the linked report. Similar stays will again be possible in 2026; interested pharmacy students are invited to contact Prof. Schmidt (Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry).

On 30 October 2025, PharmaCampus will host its fourth discussion evening on the topic of ‘Women in pharmaceutical leadership positions’, to which all interested female students and female (post)doctoral candidates are cordially invited.  Three discussion partners talked about their own career paths and then answered questions from the participants.

On October 20, 2025, the West German Science Slam Championship took place in Wiesbaden, and Jens Münchow won the competition. We congratulate him warmly and wish him every success for the final in Düsseldorf.

On 23 October 2025, the farewell ceremony for pharmacists who had passed their second pharmaceutical examination took place in a festive setting, as has been a tradition in Münster for many years.

Prof. Hensel was elected president of the Society for Phytotherapy (GPT) by the society's general meeting on September 26, 2025.
 

At the 2025 Phytotherapy Congress of the German Society for Phytotherapy in Hann. Münden, Ms. Chiara Hensen was awarded for her poster presentation. The poster deals with research into the pharmacokinetics of the natural compound 1,8-cineol and presents, for the first time, analytical methods that allow a correlation between blood and breath concentrations to be used in a non-invasive measurement method.
 

For the discovery and research of a new therapy for the serious tropical infectious disease cutaneous leishmaniasis using a well-known European herbal medicine, arnica tincture, the Society for Phytotherapy (GPT) awarded its Innovation Prize at its annual congress (25-27 September 2025, Hannoversch Münden) to Prof. Dr. Thomas J. Schmidt and colleagues from the Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry at the University of Münster and their cooperation partners led by Prof. Dr. Sara M. Robledo from the Universidad de Antioquia in Medellin, Colombia.

The Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry congratulates Anton Zürbig (Herrmann group) on winning a poster prize at the 73rd International Congress of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research in Naples (GA Naples, August 31 - September 3, 2025).
 

The EFMC Young Scientists Network awarded Dr. Wenxin Felix Zhu the Public's Choice Award for his presentation at the 12th YMCS 2025 in Porto.

Congratulations to Justus Mukavi (Schmidt group) on winning the 'Discovery Award' for his presentation at the 73^rd GA Congress in Naples! The title of his talk, in which he presented results from part of his ongoing PhD project, was: 'Antiprotozoal Aminosteroid Alkaloids from Holarrhena pubescens Wall. ex G. Don.

The price for 2025 was awarded to a consortium from the University of Münster (Prof. Dr. U. Dobrindt and Prof. Dr. A. Hensel with PhD students S. Boertz and M. Dey) from the Institute of Hygiene and the Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry. The research consortium is part of the Graduate School of Natural Products (GS-NP) of University of Münster.

The Society of Medicinal Plants and Natural Product Research has awarded Ms. Chiara Hensen a generous travel grant to attend the international annual congress in Naples. In addition to a poster presentation, Ms. Hensen has been allocated a lecture slot in which she will present the results of her research on “Rationalizing the dosage of herbal medicinal products for children using PBPK modeling: St. John's Wort as an example.”

As part of joint activities between the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry – Analytical Chemistry and the Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry, ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris) was collected around the Coesfelder Kreuz and the Leonardo Campus of the University of Münster, identified, and prepared for laboratory analyses.

As part of the PharMSchool Symposium, the student council would like to thank all the lecturers at the Pharmacampus. This year, special recognition is given to Priv.-Doz. Dr Spiegler, who will be awarded the Golden Spatula 2025. This award honours teachers who not only impress with their professional expertise, but also with their special closeness to the students.

On Wednesday, June 25, 2025, Dr. Dmitrii Kalinin successfully completed the final requirement of the habilitation process at the University of Münster by presenting his habilitation colloquium on the topic “The Development of Small Molecule Drugs for COVID-19 Treatment.”

On 14 May 2025, Dr rer. nat. Verena Spiegler habilitated at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry at the University of Münster. Faculty 12 - Chemistry and Pharmacy awarded her the venia legendi for the subject of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry and with it the title ‘Privatdozentin’.

At the 5th European Conference of Pharmaceutics in Porto ten young scientists received awards for their outstanding abstracts. Mr. Tobias Kurze (Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy) received one of the APV travel grants.

A special day at Münster’s PharmaCampus: In a festive setting, pharmacy graduates were honored as they marked the end of their studies – a moment filled with emotion, and forward-looking ambition. Equipped with sound knowledge, scientific curiosity, and personal dedication, they are now ready to help shape the future of pharmaceutical practice.
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At the ‘Frontiers in Medicinal Chemistry’ 2025 conference in Erlangen, Dr Dmitrii Kalinin was awarded the GDCh and DPhG Innovation Prize 2025. The prize was awarded to Mr Kalinin in recognition of his outstanding, original and forward-looking research work in the field of medicinal chemistry of anticoagulants. This year's doctoral prize went to Dr Wenxin Felix Zhu.

Our Research Training Group, "Chemical Biology of Ion Channels" held a fantastic symposium on February 7th at the University of Münster, featuring engaging discussions and outstanding scientific exchange. Esteemed speakers from physiology, pharmacology, and industry delivered insightful presentations that received superb feedback. The event attracted numerous associated research groups and departments, further enriching the exchange of ideas.

The 22nd Phar^MSchool closing symposium took place on 10 January 2025. The theme of the symposium was ‘Paediatrics - children and young adults’. Six groups presented their results. Two guest lectures rounded off the programme.
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The medicinal plant of the year is traditionally chosen by the "Studienkreis der Entwicklungsgeschichte der Arzneipflanzenkunde" in Würzburg. For 2025, this is common yarrow, a plant that has been anchored in the European pharmacopoeia for centuries. Typical traditional names for the plant include Achilles' herb, stomachache herb and maiden's breath herb.