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Three EMBL alumnae \u2013 Melina Schuh<\/strong>, \u00c2ngela Gon\u00e7alves<\/strong>, and Angela Rel\u00f3gio<\/strong> \u2013 have been recognised separately for pioneering work that is redefining how science understands women\u2019s health, ageing, fertility, and personalised medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Melina Schuh (EMBL Heidelberg predoc, Ellenberg Group, 2004\u20132008) has been awarded Falling Walls\u2019 2025 Science Breakthrough of the Year in Life Sciences Award<\/a> for her team\u2019s achievement in filming the entire ovulation process in real time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Director of the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences (MPI NAT)<\/a> in G\u00f6ttingen, Schuh was selected from 240 global nominations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Using advanced live-cell microscopy, her team captured ovulation in isolated mouse follicles, revealing that the process occurs in three distinct phases: follicle expansion, contraction, and release. The findings open new avenues for fertility research and deepen understanding of how healthy eggs develop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking to MPI NAT<\/a>, she said: \u201cIt has always been my dream to make the entire ovulation process visible. This award is a great honour and a motivation to keep asking bold questions and finding new ways to answer them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00c2ngela Gon\u00e7alves (EMBL-EBI predoc, Brazma Group, 2008\u20132013) is the winner of Falling Walls Foundation’s 2025 Science Breakthrough of the Year in the Women’s Impact Award category<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now a Professor at Heidelberg University and Group Leader at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)<\/a>, Gon\u00e7alves has been recognised for her project \u201cHow the biological clock ticks in the female reproductive tract: the influence of reproductive cycling on ageing and disease.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Her research combines AI, molecular biology, and clinical insight to develop non-invasive tools for the early detection and prevention of conditions such as endometriosis, ovarian cancer, and menopause-related disorders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBiomedical science has historically centred on male biology,\u201d she said in an interview with Falling Walls<\/a>. \u201cBy applying genomics and AI, we\u2019re building much-needed biological references for female organs and transforming how we diagnose and understand reproductive ageing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier this year, Angela Rel\u00f3gio (EMBL Heidelberg predoc, Kafatos\/Valcarcel Groups, 1999\u20132006) was one of three finalists for the Deutscher Gr\u00fcnderpreis 2025<\/a> for TimeTeller<\/a>, the Hamburg-based health tech startup she co-founded to bring chronobiology into everyday medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her company was the outright winner of the Hamburger Gr\u00fcnderpreis 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TimeTeller\u2019s diagnostic platform measures a patient\u2019s internal biological time from a simple saliva test, using AI and molecular analysis to identify when the body is most receptive, or sensitive, to specific treatments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe company emerged from the work developed in my research group,\u201d said Rel\u00f3gio<\/a>, now Professor and Head of the Institute for Systems Medicine at the MSH Medical School Hamburg. \u201cIf we want to bring a medical device to market, we can\u2019t do it alone as researchers. It requires a company that meets the necessary certifications and regulatory requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her company\u2019s goal \u2013 to empower individuals and healthcare professionals with knowledge and tools to optimise health and prevent diseases through understanding and applying the power of circadian rhythms \u2013 marks a paradigm shift away from one-size-fits-all schedules toward treatment in sync with human biology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TimeTeller\u2019s saliva test kit is the first medical product to measure an individual\u2019s circadian rhythm and, from 1 November, is being reimbursed through Germany\u2019s largest health insurer, Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), initially offering personalised rhythm-based recommendations for patients undergoing cancer therapy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Falling Walls Foundation, inspired by the fall of the Berlin Wall, promotes collaboration across disciplines to advance scientific and social progress. The annual Falling Walls Science Summit<\/a> in Berlin culminates on 9 November with the presentation of the Science Breakthroughs of the Year awards, during which Melina Schuh and \u00c2ngela Gon\u00e7alves will both present their research.Visualising ovulation in real time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Breaking the wall of healthy ageing in women<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Timing medicine to the body\u2019s inner clock<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Celebrating impact<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Gon\u00e7alves was announced as a Women’s Impact Award winner on 31 July, while Schuh was announced as Science Breakthroughs of the Year laureate on 16 September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n