Dec 17, 2025
Dr. Haidy Saleh Hassan awarded the 2025 Dissertation Prize
From left to right: Beate Sopart (Commerzbank AG), Dr. Haidy Saleh Hassan, Prof. Ursula Staudinger.
Recognition for excellent early career research: Dr. Haidy Saleh Hassan (Chair of Medical Systems Biology) has been awarded the Dissertation Prize 2025 by Commerzbank's Kulturstiftung Dresden for her contribution to the development of modern cancer therapies. The prize recognizes outstanding doctoral achievements at TU Dresden and is endowed with EUR 1,000.
The dissertation on "Immunotherapeutic targeting of glioblastoma using switchable adaptor revCAR T- and NK-92-cell platforms" is dedicated to innovative approaches for the treatment of glioblastomas, one of the most aggressive forms of brain tumors. Dr. Saleh Hassan shows how so-called revCAR T- and NK-92-cells can be used in a targeted manner as switchable immune cell platforms against glioblastomas. With the help of adapter molecules, the activity of the immune cells can be precisely controlled and flexibly targeted to different tumor antigens. The work thus addresses central challenges of CAR T-cell therapy for solid tumors such as safety and tumor heterogeneity.
In 2021, Dr. Haidy Saleh Hassan began her doctoral studies in Dresden as part of the DIGS-BB program. Her dissertation was written in cooperation between the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Department of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research) and the Faculty of Medicine, including the Mildred Scheel Early Career Center.
After successfully completing her doctorate, Dr. Saleh Hassan is continuing her scientific career as a postdoctoral researcher in the Buchholz Lab, where she is working on a project combining genome editing and immunotherapy. Additionally, she focuses on the promotion of early-career researchers, the establishment of international research collaborations and the strengthening of translational immunotherapeutic approaches through cooperation with industrial partners.
In addition to Dr. Haidy Saleh Hassan, Dr.-Ing. Sara Marchini (Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering) was awarded a dissertation prize and Dr. Johannes Feldbauer (Faculty of Environmental Sciences) received the Dr. Walter Seipp Prize from the Commerzbank Foundation this year.