Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Professor Adrian Krainer has won the 2025 Heinrich Wieland Prize. Awarded annually by the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation, the €250,000 prize recognizes exceptional scientists whose pioneering research pushes the boundaries of knowledge in biochemistry, biology, chemistry, and physiology. Krainer received the award for his revolutionary RNA splicing research, which led to the development of nusinersen (Spinraza®), a lifesaving treatment for the genetic neurodegenerative disease spinal muscular atrophy.
“It’s an honor to be selected as the 2025 Heinrich Wieland Prize laureate,” Krainer says. “I am grateful to the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation for recognizing the value of my lab’s research on mRNA splicing and RNA-targeted therapeutics. It is very humbling to join such a distinguished group of prior recipients.”
Established in 1977, the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is an independent nonprofit supporting the biological, chemical, medical, and pharmaceutical sciences. Krainer joins an illustrious group of award recipients, including five Nobel laureates. He will formally accept the award at the Foundation’s annual Heinrich Wieland Prize Symposium in Munich, Germany on December 11, 2025.
Written by: Nick Wurm, Communications Specialist | wurm@cshl.edu | 516-367-5940