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Professor Martin Peifer is a computational cancer genomics researcher at the University of Cologne, where he leads the Department of Translational Genomics. He serves as Principal Investigator of the Peifer Lab, which focuses on developing computational methods to analyze cancer genome sequencing data. His work is deeply integrated with the Center for Data and Simulation Science and he is an active member of the International Cancer Genome Consortium and the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes project. Peifer's research interests center on computational approaches to understanding cancer biology, with particular emphasis on tumor evolution and genome instability mechanisms. His lab develops methods to analyze somatic genome alterations including point mutations, copy number changes, and rearrangements. They also create computational tools for integrative genome analyses, tumor evolution reconstruction, and single-cell sequencing data analysis (both RNA and DNA). His interdisciplinary team applies high-performance computing and machine learning to interpret complex cancer sequencing data, aiming to better understand tumorigenesis, clonal evolution, and therapy resistance. Analysis of Peifer's extensive publication record reveals a strong focus on neuroblastoma and lung cancer genomics, with particular attention to tumor evolution patterns and genomic instability mechanisms. His work spans multiple cancer types but maintains consistent themes of computational methodology development and application to understand cancer progression and treatment resistance. The publications demonstrate increasing sophistication in analyzing intra-tumor heterogeneity and clonal dynamics over time. Peifer leads an active research group including postdoctoral fellows (Joel Kaufmann, Dr. Stephanie Pabel, Agnieszka Rumińska) and PhD students (Magdalena Seiffert, Justinas Valiulis). His lab is involved in the Collaborative Research Center 1399 focused on Mechanisms of Drug Sensitivity and Resistance in Small Cell Lung Cancer, indicating significant grant funding and collaborative research efforts. The Peifer Lab operates at the intersection of computational biology and cancer research, maintaining an interdisciplinary approach that combines bioinformatics, machine learning, and high-performance computing to address complex questions in cancer genomics. Their work has significant implications for understanding cancer evolution and developing more effective treatment strategies.

• Computational Cancer Genomics
• Tumor Evolution
• Genome Instability
• +5 more

Professor Patrick Harter is a faculty member at the Institute of Neuropathology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), where he leads research in neuro-oncology and molecular diagnostics of CNS tumors. His work focuses on glioblastoma, meningioma, and brain metastasis, with emphasis on epigenetic mechanisms like DNA methylation and metabolic adaptations in the tumor microenvironment. Research interests span: Molecular classification of brain tumors using DNA methylation profiling Therapeutic targeting of BRAF/MEK and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways Role of hypoxia and metabolic plasticity in treatment resistance Liquid biopsy development for non-invasive tumor monitoring His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward integrating epigenetic, metabolic, and immunotherapeutic approaches. Articles frequently explore: Novel biomarkers for tumor grading and prognosis Mechanisms of therapy resistance in gliomas Impact of tumor microenvironment on metastasis

• Neuro-oncology
• Neuropathology
• Glioblastoma
• +3 more

Rex Hung is an Associate Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and serves as an Associate Pathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital . His academic career focuses on Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology , Cardiovascular Pathology , and Pulmonary Pathology , with significant contributions to cancer research.

• Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology
• Cardiovascular Pathology
• Pulmonary Pathology
• +3 more

Mikhail Gelfand is a Full Professor and Director of the Center for Molecular and Cellular Biology at Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), where he also serves as Vice President for Biomedical Research. His distinguished career spans multiple prestigious institutions including Lomonosov Moscow State University and the Higher School of Economics. His educational background includes: 1985: MSc in mathematics (functional analysis) 1993: PhD in physics-mathematics (biophysics) 1998: DSc in biology (molecular biology) 2007: full professor (bioinformatics) Professor Gelfand's research focuses on molecular evolution, comparative genomics, systems biology, and metagenomics. His work examines eukaryotic processes including alternative splicing, mRNA editing, and chromatin structure, as well as bacterial genome evolution and transcription regulation. His lab combines data on three-dimensional chromatin structure, epigenetic states, and gene expression to obtain an integrated view of genome functioning across diverse organisms from humans to amoebae. One major research direction focuses on the evolution of transcript splicing and editing, while comparative analysis of bacterial genomes yields functional annotations of novel enzymes, transporters, and transcription factors. His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on RNA editing in cephalopods, bacterial genome analysis, and computational approaches to understanding chromatin structure. The work spans molecular biology, evolutionary biology, and bioinformatics, with particular emphasis on how RNA editing contributes to adaptation and molecular evolution across metazoans. His research shows how edited adenines are more frequently substituted with guanine in evolution than their unedited counterparts, suggesting RNA editing may enhance adaptation. His notable awards include: The President of Russian Federation's Award for Young Doctors of Science (2000) The "Best Scientist of the Russian Academy of Sciences" award (2004) A. A. Baev Prize in Genomics and Genoinformatics (2007) Member of Academia Europaea (2010) As Director of the Center for Molecular and Cellular Biology, Professor Gelfand leads a research group that combines computational and experimental approaches to study genome function and evolution. His lab's work has significant implications for understanding molecular mechanisms of evolution and adaptation across diverse biological systems, from bacteria to complex eukaryotes. His research on metagenomics extends to practical applications in areas including coral disease, aphids, and oil wells.

• molecular evolution
• comparative genomics
• systems biology
• +7 more

Prof. Dr. Günter Schneider holds the Professorship in Translational Cancer Research at the University Medical Center Göttingen, focusing on molecular mechanisms controlling therapeutic vulnerabilities in gastrointestinal cancers. His laboratory bridges preclinical and clinical research to improve pancreatic/rectal cancer treatments. Research explores context-specific therapeutic dependencies, epigenetic regulation of metastasis, and tumor microenvironment remodeling. Recent work identifies PRMT5-sensitive pancreatic cancer subtypes and develops AMPK inhibitors for ferroptosis sensitization. The group utilizes CRISPR-engineered models, branched organoid systems, and multi-omics approaches to study tumor heterogeneity and treatment resistance mechanisms.

• Pancreatic Cancer
• Translational Oncology
• Cancer Metabolism
• +2 more

Anne Schaefer is a Full Professor with Tenure at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, currently serving as Managing Director at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne, Germany. She co-directs the Center for Glial Biology within the Friedman Brain Institute, focusing on neuroscience and psychiatry. Education: Charité University Berlin (MD/PhD), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (undergraduate) Research Interests: Schaefer’s work bridges neuroscience , neuroimmunology , and epigenetics , with a primary focus on microglial biology, neuronal activity regulation, and mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration. Her studies explore how microglia interact with neurons to maintain brain homeostasis and drive plasticity. Scientific Awards: Max Planck Sabbatical Award (2019) Inaugural NINDS Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship (2018) NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (2012) Kavli Frontiers in Science Fellow (2014) German Research Foundation DFG Research Fellowship (2006–2008) Summa cum laude, Charité University Berlin (2004) Grants & Funding: Schaefer has secured significant third-party funding, including an ERC Synergy Grant (2021–2027) for the project "Micro-'COPS' - Microglia-control of physiological brain states." Labs & Teams: She leads a research team at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing and collaborates closely with the Center for Glial Biology at Mount Sinai, where she has held leadership roles since 2017.

• Neuroscience
• Neuroimmunology
• Epigenetics
• +3 more

Professor Ghazaleh Tabatabai serves as Head of Department for Clinical and Experimental Neuro-Oncology at the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen. She leads a multidisciplinary research group focused on translational neuro-oncology with active collaborations through the German Glioma Network, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO), and International Consortium on Meningioma (ICOM). Her research program centers on molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis, therapy resistance, and treatment-induced vulnerabilities in nervous system tumors. The laboratory employs CRISPR screening technologies, molecular profiling, and preclinical models to identify therapeutic targets, with particular expertise in glioma and meningioma biology. Current projects span from discovery through validation to clinical application, including phase I/II trials of novel therapies such as CureVac's mRNA vaccine candidate CVGBM. Recent publications demonstrate leadership in molecular classification of meningiomas, CRISPR-based target discovery, immunotherapy development, and clinical trial design. Her work on the TRACE app for patient-reported outcomes and the PRIDE trial for dose-escalated radiation therapy represents significant clinical translation efforts. The 2024-2025 publication record shows strong productivity with high-impact papers in Neuro-Oncology, Nature Medicine, and Genome Biology. Elected spokesperson of the DFG Board for Neuroscience (2024) Active participation in EANO guideline development Leadership in multiple international consortia including ICOM Principal investigator for clinical trials including N2M2/NOA-20 umbrella trial Professor Tabatabai mentors a large research team including PhD students, medical doctoral candidates, and postdoctoral researchers. Her laboratory maintains active clinical collaborations across neurosurgery, radiation oncology, and medical oncology departments. She is featured in the 'Key To My Research' podcast discussing tumor intelligence and regularly presents at major neuro-oncology conferences including ASCO, EANO, and SNO.

• Neuro-Oncology
• Glioma Biology
• Meningioma Research
• +5 more

Prof. Dr. Christine Heim is a University Professor (W3) and Director of the Institute of Medical Psychology at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, where she leads interdisciplinary research on stress psychobiology. She holds concurrent appointments as Research Professor at Pennsylvania State University's College of Health and Human Development and serves as Principal Investigator in the NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence (DFG EXC 2049). Her faculty affiliations include the Berlin School of Mind & Brain, Max Planck School of Cognition, and Einstein Center for Neurosciences. Her research program investigates mechanisms through which early-life stress fundamentally alters biological adaptability across the lifespan, increasing disease risk. Key focuses include: Molecular and epigenetic embedding of stress effects Gene-environment interactions in stress vulnerability Neuroendocrine and immunological consequences of trauma Development of biomarkers and early interventions Her publications demonstrate consistent focus on stress biology across multiple levels of analysis, with recent work emphasizing epigenetic clocks, neural plasticity, and childhood maltreatment outcomes. Research employs multimodal methods integrating psychological, neuroendocrine, immunological, neural, and molecular approaches. She coordinates the BMBF-funded research network 'Programming Effects of Childhood Stress on Lifelong Disease Risk (Kids2Health)' and serves on the Steering Committee for 'Promoting Talent' in the Berlin University Alliance.

• Psychobiology of Stress
• Developmental Psychobiology
• Epigenetics
• +5 more

Dr. Lara Urban is a Principal Investigator at Helmholtz Munich and Helmholtz AI, and a TUM Junior Fellow at the Technical University of Munich's Life Sciences School. Her research integrates genomics and artificial intelligence to address One Health challenges, focusing on environmental health, biodiversity conservation, and pathogen surveillance. She holds a PhD from EMBL-EBI and the University of Cambridge (2019) and Master's degrees from Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg (2015). Her work leverages portable genomic technologies for real-time data analysis in clinical, environmental, and conservation contexts. Key areas include studying bioaerosols, pathogen detection, and genomic diversity in endangered species like the kākāpō. Awards include the Young Scientist of the Year 2022 and Humboldt Research Fellowship. Her team has published on nanopore sequencing applications, antibiotic resistance, and conservation genomics. Collaborations span institutions like the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, funded by EU Horizon Europe, BMBF, and Helmholtz grants. Current initiatives include fieldwork in Chile and advancing genomic equity through democratized tools.

• Molecular Biology
• Artificial Intelligence
• Environmental Health
• +3 more

Matthias Feige is an Associate Professor of Cellular Protein Biochemistry at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). He leads the Focus Group for Cellular Protein Biochemistry, previously serving as a Rudolf Mößbauer Tenure Track Assistant Professor. His research focuses on understanding cellular proteome integrity, particularly in the secretory pathway, combining protein biochemistry and cell biology. Key interests include protein folding, quality control mechanisms, and their biomedical applications. Education & Career: PhD in Biochemistry (2009), TUM under Johannes Buchner Postdoctoral Fellowship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (Memphis, USA) with Linda Hendershot Head of the Cellular Protein Biochemistry Lab at TUM since 2015 Research Interests: Feige’s work explores molecular mechanisms governing protein biogenesis, secretory pathway proteins, and their roles in immunity. His interdisciplinary approach targets fundamental biology and translational applications like protein engineering and therapy development. Scientific Contributions: His publications highlight advancements in cytokine assembly, ER quality control, and protein aggregation mechanisms. Notable recent work includes studies on KDELR3 signaling, helminth immune modulation, and engineered cytokines. Awards & Recognition: Leopoldina Fellowship (2011–2014) Fellow of the Daimler and Benz Foundation (2016) Rainer Rudolph Award (2012) Multiple honors from TUM and international institutions Labs & Teams: He directs a lab investigating protein biogenesis and proteostasis. Collaborations span biochemistry, immunology, and structural biology, with a focus on translational research.

• Protein Biochemistry
• Cell Biology
• Immunology
• +3 more

Prof. Dr. Jörg Hackermüller is a computational biologist with expertise in Omics data integration Toxicology Environmental risk assessment Non-coding RNA biology . He serves as Head of the Department of Computational Biology and Chemistry at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) since 2024 and holds a Professorship at the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science at Leipzig University since 2021. His research focuses on Developing AI methods for chemical toxicity prediction Multi-omics integration for mechanistic toxicology Data standardization in environmental monitoring Non-coding RNAs as biomarkers in disease and toxicity and has produced 15+ recent publications spanning tools like multiGSEA and deepFPlearn+ . He collaborates with teams across UFZ Leipzig University Novartis Fraunhofer Institute and leads projects like InCeTo and SafePol , integrating exposome research with systems biology.

• Bioinformatics
• Omics Data Analysis
• Toxicology
• +3 more

Prof. Lars Mägdefessel is a Professor of Vascular Biology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), leading the Molecular Vascular Biology group within the TUM School of Medicine and Health. His research focuses on non-coding RNAs in vascular diseases, particularly atherosclerosis and aortic aneurysms, using translational approaches for molecular treatment discovery. He holds an MD from Johannes Gutenberg University (Mainz, Germany), completed cardiology clinical training, and postdoctoral research at Stanford University before joining TUM in 2016. Education: MD from Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz Postdoctoral training at Stanford University, USA Assistant Professor at Karolinska Institute, Sweden Research Interests: Non-coding RNA regulation in vascular pathology Mechanisms of atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability Translational therapies for vascular diseases Advanced aortic aneurysm progression Awards include the ERC Consolidator Grant (2023), Russell Ross Award (2023), and Heisenberg Professorship (2016). His lab is supported by the German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK).

• Vascular Biology
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Atherosclerosis
• +3 more

Prof. Dr. Kirsten Jung is a faculty member at the Department of Microbiology , Faculty of Biology , Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich . Her research focuses on bacterial signal transduction, stress response mechanisms, and systems biology approaches to understand microbial regulatory networks. Key research areas include stress-dependent gene expression in bacterial populations Structural and functional analysis of membrane-integrated receptors Metabolism-based chemical communication in bacteria Integration of experimental and computational systems biology Recent publications highlight her lab's work on Escherichia coli epitranscriptomic modifications under heat stress, m 5 C rRNA dynamics, and the role of RNA methylation in host-pathogen interactions. Collaborative studies address bacterial acid stress responses and their implications for antibiotic tolerance. Her interdisciplinary work bridges microbiology with ecological studies, as evidenced by research on biodiversity conservation in forest and urban ecosystems. Publications also demonstrate expertise in advanced imaging techniques (e.g., arterial spin labeling for glioma analysis) and bioinformatics approaches. Current advisees include Gloria Gessinger and Tania P. Gonzalez-Terrazas . She can be contacted at jung@lmu.de .

• Bacterial Signal Transduction
• Stress Response Mechanisms
• Membrane Protein Structure-Function Analysis
• +3 more

Claudia Crocini is a DZHK junior research group leader at the Max Rubner Center for Cardiovascular Metabolic Renal Research, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Her work bridges cardiac physiology, epigenetics, and sex-specific medicine to address critical gaps in cardiovascular research where female hearts have been historically neglected. Her research program centers on sex-dependent differences in human cardiac cells, investigating how biological sex influences contractility, ionic currents, gene expression, and epigenetic regulation. By leveraging induced pluripotent stem cell technology, tissue engineering, and computational modeling, her lab identifies fundamental mechanisms underlying sex-specific cardiac responses to disease. This approach integrates cardiac mechanobiology with molecular analysis to uncover targets for precision medicine. Analysis of her publication record reveals a consistent trajectory toward understanding sex-dimorphic cardiac function, with recent work emphasizing sarcomere mechanics, RNA splicing, and nuclear mechanosensing. Her methodology combines voltage/calcium imaging, contractility assays, and next-generation sequencing to establish sex-specific biomarkers and therapeutic pathways. Dr. Crocini's scientific contributions have been recognized through competitive awards: First prize: Best Postdoc at the MDC (2022) Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship for 'TiGER: Titin can govern epigenetic remodelling' (2021) American Heart Association Postdoc Fellowship (2020) Biophysical Society Travel Award (2020) HSFP Long-Term Fellowship (2017) As principal investigator of her DZHK-funded research group, she directs projects examining sex-dependent cardiac adaptation mechanisms while securing major grants including the Marie Skłodowska-Curie and American Heart Association fellowships. Her work directly addresses the urgent need for sex-inclusive cardiac research to improve clinical outcomes. The Crocini Lab operates within the Max Rubner Center, utilizing stem cell differentiation platforms, engineered cardiac tissues, and advanced imaging to dissect sex-specific cardiac physiology. Current projects focus on translating cellular findings into clinically relevant insights for sex-tailored cardiovascular therapies.

• Cardiovascular Disease
• Cardiac Mechanobiology
• Epigenetics
• +4 more

Prof. Laura Na Liu is a Professor and Director at the 2nd Physics Institute, University of Stuttgart, with a dual affiliation at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research. Her research bridges nanophotonics, DNA nanotechnology, and plasmonics, focusing on dynamic systems for biomedical applications, optical metamaterials, and synthetic biology. Key contributions include DNA-templated plasmonic architectures, reconfigurable metasurfaces, and synthetic cell components using DNA nanotechnology. Academic training includes advanced work in physics and materials science, with a career spanning leading institutions. Research interests emphasize the interplay between nanoscale structures and optical/chemical functionalities. Recent publications highlight innovations in programmable nanomaterials, real-time molecular tracking, and high-performance holography systems. Her work integrates experimental and theoretical approaches, addressing challenges in biophotonics, nanoelectronics, and smart materials. Awards and recognitions are listed in institutional records, while her lab actively collaborates with industry on applied photonics solutions.

• Nanophotonics
• DNA Nanotechnology
• Plasmonics
• +4 more