Thomas Wälchli

Dr. Thomas Wälchli is a dual-trained neurosurgeon-neuroscientist serving as Principal Clinical Research Fellow at University College London's Cancer Institute within the Faculty of Medical Sciences. His work bridges clinical neurosurgery with fundamental vascular and cancer biology research.

• Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (M.Sc. Engineering)
• University of Zurich/Harvard Medical School (Medical training)
• ETH Zurich/University Hospital Zurich (MD-PhD)
• University Hospitals Zurich/Geneva (Neurosurgery residency)
• Toronto Western Hospital/University of Toronto (Clinical fellowships)
• University of Montpellier (Awake brain surgery fellowship)

His research centers on deciphering molecular mechanisms governing brain vasculature across development, adulthood, and disease states. Using single-cell multi-omics approaches, he investigates vascular heterogeneity in brain tumors and vascular malformations, with particular focus on the reactivation of developmental programs (onco-fetal axis) in glioma. His team's landmark Nature 2024 study established the first molecular atlas of human brain vasculature at single-cell resolution.

Publication analysis reveals consistent focus on vascular biology through advanced genomic techniques, with increasing emphasis on therapeutic applications for glioma. His work spans fundamental vascular development mechanisms to clinical translation, particularly in targeting angiogenic pathways reactivated in brain tumors.

Dr. Wälchli actively supervises undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD students in neuroscience and molecular biology at University of Toronto and University of Zurich, while maintaining clinical neurosurgery practice.