"Today, we are standing exactly where Lorenz Oken laid the foundation stone for our society in 1822," said Prof Dr Michael Dröscher, Secretary General and Treasurer of the GDNÄ, at the opening. "Then as now, science is most effective when it transcends the boundaries of disciplines." Dröscher, a former chemist himself, emphasised the importance of the new regional format: "It's an experiment - and we can see that it works. Bringing together many disciplines in one region was the aim, and it has worked."
The initiative for the regional meeting in Leipzig came from Andrea Löser, former Sales Manager at Löser Medizintechnik in Leipzig, who is active in the field of sepsis research together with her husband Dr Thomas Löser. "We didn't always want to wait two years for the next big GDNÄ congress. When Prof Dröscher brought up the idea of regional meetings, we were immediately enthusiastic. BioCity Leipzig was the ideal place for us to kick things off," said Löser.Host Dr Anja Rösler, Head of Medical Technology at BioCity Leipzig, emphasised the close connection between science, business and education at the location: "As a biologist, I am delighted that this exchange is taking place here. BioCity is an ideal place to promote interdisciplinary synergies."A scientific highlight of the meeting was the presentation by Prof Dr Clara T. Schoeder, Junior Professor at the Institute for Drug Development at Leipzig University's Faculty of Medicine. Under the title "Protein design for the development of new drugs - how artificial intelligence is changing drug development", she introduced the audience to the fascinating world of computer-aided protein design.Schoeder explained how neural networks are now able to predict the folding of complex proteins - a breakthrough for which the developers of "AlphaFold2" were honoured with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2024. The Leipzig institute is actively working on the further development of these methods - particularly with a view to accelerating vaccine development. "The hope is that in future we will be able to press a button during a virus outbreak - and the design for a suitable vaccine will be ready," said Schoeder.
The response to her presentation was overwhelming. Florian Horn, a doctor from Berlin, was impressed: "I was last at a GDNÄ conference in Tübingen in 2008. Today's event showed me how inspiring this interdisciplinary exchange is." Numerous biology and medical students as well as young scientists from Leipzig and the surrounding area also praised the format.
A special item on the programme was the presentation of the GDNÄ's young network, the jGDNÄ. Selma Goosmann (biochemistry student in Leipzig) and Nick Bollfraß (chemistry graduate) presented the structures and goals of the young talent initiative, which was only founded last year. "We see ourselves as a bridge between young people and the GDNÄ," explained Goosmann. The network is aimed at pupils, students and young researchers up to the age of 32 and is already planning its first annual congress in Heidelberg at the end of June.
With the Leipzig regional meeting, the GDNÄ has established a new format that is approachable, enables dialogue at eye level and makes scientific findings accessible to a wider public. The fact that the event was held at the place where it was founded lent it a special symbolic power. "Lorenz Oken was a visionary, a real nerd of his time," says Dröscher. "He knew that science can only progress if we think together. This idea lives on - today more than ever."
About the GDNÄ:
The Society of German Natural Scientists and Physicians (GDNÄ) was founded in Leipzig in 1822 by the natural philosopher and physician Lorenz Oken and is the oldest interdisciplinary scientific society in the German-speaking world. The name of the GDNÄ has been preserved from this time. The GDNÄ brings together experts from the natural sciences, medicine, technology and computer science - with the aim of promoting scientific exchange and making science tangible for society. The next meeting of the GDNÄ (No. 134) will take place from 17 to 20 September 2026 in Bremen under the motto: "Knowledge creates benefits - using science".
Press release of the "GDNÄ" from 9 May 2025
