Staff Profile

Qualifications:

Apr 2010 Primary medical qualification: State Exam Med; University of Hamburg, Germany

Jan 2011 MD degree (Dr. med.), RWTH Aachen, Germany

Jul 2018  German specialist degree (CCT equivalent) “Internal Medicine & Haematology &

Oncology”, Hamburg, Germany

Sep 2018 ESMO examination

Oct 2021 PhD degree, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Hamburg University

Oct 2022 Habilitation, Medical Faculty, Hamburg University

Previous positions:

Oct 2010 – Jun 2018     Internal Medicine fellow and Medical Oncology and Haematology specialty registrar, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Dept of Oncology, Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Hamburg, Germany

Feb 2017 - Dec 2022 ESMO Young Oncologist Committee member

Oct 2018 – Sep 2019    ESMO translational research fellow, The Manchester Cancer Research Centre & The Christie NHS FT, Manchester, United Kingdom

Jul 2018 – Dec 2021      Medical Oncology and Haematology specialist physician, Medical Oncology lead of the Sarcoma unit, Dept. of Medical Oncology, Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, University Medical Centre Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

Jan 2020 - ongoing Junior group leader, Mildred Scheel Cancer Career Centre HaTriCs4, University Cancer Centre Hamburg, University Medical Centre Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

Memberships:

European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO)

European Association of Urology, associated member (EAU)

European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)

Association of Cancer Physicians (ACP)

German Society of Haematology and Oncology (DGHO)

German Testicular Cancer Study Group (GTCSG)

German Cancer Society (DKG)

Professional roles:

Since 2020 ESMO Resilience Task Force member

Since 2022 EAU Testicular Guideline panel member

Since 2023 ESMO Communication Committee member

Since 2019 ESMO Open Associate Editor

Honours and Awards:

2019 Innovative Protocol Award, 21st EORTC-ESMO-ECCO-AACR Workshop on Methods in Clinical Cancer Research, Zeist, NL

My key areas of translational research interest are prostate cancer, testicular cancer and penile cancer.

In prostate cancer, I am looking into the mechanisms of SPOP-mutant prostate cancer tumorigenesis and it's impact on DNA repair pathways to utlimately identify novel concepts of synthetic lethality. Based on previous work conducted at the University Cancer Centre Hamburg, Germany, we are establishing patient-derived organoid models (Elsesy M et al. Mol Oncol 2023; 17:1129-47), along with genetically engineered inducible SPOP-mutant prostate cancer cell lines to identify novel treatments, which ultimately may inform future clinical trial design.

In testicular germ cell tumours, key research activities focus on the identification mechanisms of cisplatin resistance, novel treatment targets in platinum-resistant disease and novel treatments in this rare but clinically challenging setting (Oing C et al., Cancer Treat Rev 2018; 71:102-7). During my PhD project, I have identified the post-translational histone H2B monoubiquitination as a putative target for CDK9 inhibition, which was shown to overcome platinum-resistance in embryonal carcinoma cell line models (unpublished data).

In penile cancer, together with Dr Pasquale Rescigno and Dr Stuart McKracken, I am planning to develop patient-derived tumour models to provide a basis for the identification of novel treatment targets in this rare but hard to treat type of cancer.