Why did you apply for funding as a Clinician Scientist?
During my medical studies I spent a year doing research in a team at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. My enthusiasm was sparked by the in tensive contact I had with scientific work. So for me it was only logical that, in order to set up my own research team, I should acquire external funding during my specialist training as a doctor at the Radiation Therapy Clinic. The funding came first from the Else Kröner Fresenius Foundation and now, building on that, from IZKF. My laboratory head and the Clinic’s Director both gave me a lot of support. In radiation therapy there are only a very few centers which carry out basic research, and the networking across locations and disciplines is a real bonus.

What does your current research involve?
At WTZ I’m looking into the so called Musashi proteins in tumour cells. My research has shown that blocking them makes cancer cells significantly more sensitive to radiation treatment. I started with aggressive breast cancer cells, and now I’m doing research on other tumours, too.

What plans do you have for the future?
After I complete my training as a medical specialist I would still like to continue working as an Advanced Clinician Scientist, both in patient care and in research. Every day, in this dual function, I see very clearly at a patient’s bed what my work is all about.

This article was first published in the 2023 annual report of the West German Cancer Center Consortium.