Contact information
Department of Translational Genomics
CECAD - Cluster of Excellence at the University of Cologne
Joseph-Stelzmann-Straße 26
50931 Cologne
CV
Academic education
2003-2008 | Undergraduate Studies in Biology, University of Hamburg (Pre-Diploma, grade “very good”) and Heidelberg (Diploma, grade= 1,0; “very good”) |
Scientific degrees
03/2013 | M. Phil. and Ph.D. in Biology, Imperial College London, UK; “DISC-dependent versus DISC-independent aspects of TRAIL biology” (Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Henning Walczak) |
09/2008 | Diploma in Biology, University of Heidelberg |
Scientific career
2021 - present | W2 Professor at the Department of Translational Genomics/CECAD, University of Cologne, Germany |
2017 - 2021 | Max Eder Junior Research Group Leader, Department of Translational Genomics/CECAD, University of Cologne, Germany |
2016 - 2017 | Postdoctoral research fellow, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK (Group of Prof. Dr. Julian Downward) |
2013 - 2016 | Postdoctoral research fellow, University College London (UCL) Cancer Institute, UCL, UK (Group of Professor Dr. Henning Walczak) |
Honors/ Awards/ Memberships
2020 - present | Editorial board of Cell Death Discovery |
2020 - present | Reviewer for Molecular Cell |
2019 - present | Member of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) |
2019 - present | Member of the European Cell Death Organization (ECDO) |
2019 - present | Reviewer board for Cancers and Cells |
2018 - present | Editorial advisory board of Encyclopaedia Life Science (eLS-Wiley) |
2017 | Max Eder Junior Research Group Award (Deutsche Krebshilfe) |
2017 - present | Reviewer board for Oncogene and Cell Death and Disease and Cell Death and Differentiation |
2015 - present | Member of the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR) |
2015 | F1000 prize for best short talk, 9th Tuscany Retreat on Cancer Research, Chiusi, Italy |
2015 | EACR Poster Prize 31st Genes and Cancer Meeting, Cambridge, UK |
2014 | Poster Prize UCL Cancer Institute 7th Annual Conference, UK |
2014 | “Prize for best contributing student or postdoc” Gordon Research Conference, Mount Snow, USA |
2014 | Prize for best selected short talk, 30th Genes and Cancer Meeting, Cambridge, UK |
2013 | Poster Prize UCL Cancer Institute 6th Annual Conference, UK |
2013 | Travel Award 14th International TNF-meeting, Quebec, Canada |
Publications
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A guide to ferroptosis in cancer
Ferroptosis is a newly identified iron-dependent type of regulated cell death that can also be regarded as death caused by the specific collapse of the lipid antioxidant defence machinery. Ferroptosis has gained increasing attention as a potential therapeutic strategy for therapy-resistant cancer…
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Ferroptosis response segregates small cell lung cancer (SCLC) neuroendocrine subtypes
Loss of TP53 and RB1 in treatment-naïve small cell lung cancer (SCLC) suggests selective pressure to inactivate cell death pathways prior to therapy. Yet, which of these pathways remain available in treatment-naïve SCLC is unknown. Here, through systemic analysis of cell death pathway availability…
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Dynasore Blocks Ferroptosis through Combined Modulation of Iron Uptake and Inhibition of Mitochondrial Respiration
Ferroptosis is a form of regulated necrosis characterized by a chain-reaction of detrimental membrane lipid peroxidation following collapse of glutathione peroxidase 4 (Gpx4) activity. This lipid peroxidation is catalyzed by labile ferric iron. Therefore, iron import mediated via transferrin…
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Ferroptosis in Cancer Cell Biology
A major hallmark of cancer is successful evasion of regulated forms of cell death. Ferroptosis is a recently discovered type of regulated necrosis which, unlike apoptosis or necroptosis, is independent of caspase activity and receptor-interacting protein 1 (RIPK1) kinase activity. Instead,…
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Ferroptotic pores induce Ca2+ fluxes and ESCRT-III activation to modulate cell death kinetics
Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of regulated necrosis associated with lipid peroxidation. Despite its key role in the inflammatory outcome of ferroptosis, little is known about the molecular events leading to the disruption of the plasma membrane during this type of cell death. Here we show…
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Potent pro-apoptotic combination therapy is highly effective in a broad range of cancers
Primary or acquired therapy resistance is a major obstacle to the effective treatment of cancer. Resistance to apoptosis has long been thought to contribute to therapy resistance. We show here that recombinant TRAIL and CDK9 inhibition cooperate in killing cells derived from a broad range of…