Prof. Mathias Heikenwaelder is a trained molecular biologist and microbiologist, with expertise in immunology, pathology and a strong link to translational research evoked by 10 years of work and expertise in a Pathology Institution (Clinical Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland). Since October 2015 he is heads the Department “Chronic inflammation and Cancer” at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg focusing on the link between chronic inflammation and cancer, with the main focus on liver cancer. Prof. Heikenwaelder’s laboratory aims at understanding the different immune signatures of chronic inflammatory human diseases driving liver tissue damage and liver cancer using patient material and relevant preclinical mouse models. This is done with the final aim to generate valid pre-clinical models of chronic inflammation induced tissue damage and cancer, used for pre-clinical research. Mathias Heikenwälder has received several awards and prestigious grants (ERC-Starting 2011; ERC-Consolidator 2016; ERC-Proof of concept 2019; Horizon 2020, German Cancer Award 2022) and has become a highly cited researcher in 2019, 2020 and 2021. His credo is to support young researchers to follow their dreams and to support them to become independent.
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