Honoring young research talent: Carl Gustav Carus Award presented to eight excellent early-career researchers

Driving medical innovation, developing new therapies, and cultivating diagnostic techniques – on January 27, 2026, eight dedicated early-career researchers from the Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine of TU Dresden were awarded the prestigious Carl Gustav Carus Prize for their work.

The award winners were selected for their outstanding doctoral theses and pioneering publications, such as in the areas of cancer medicine, radiology, and immunology. The prize is for graduates who completed their PhD with a grade of summa cum laude (excellent) or magna cum laude (very good). It has been awarded since 1998. The publication prize was introduced in 2003. The prizes this year honor outstanding research in the domains of clinical, experimental-theoretical, and experimental-natural sciences.

“The breadth of topics and the depth of the work that our young researchers produce astounds us every year. Their dedication and their creativity are an invaluable asset to medical research and healthcare,” emphasizes Prof. Esther Troost, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine.
Prof. Uwe Platzbecker, Medical Director of the University Hospital, adds, “Our early-career researchers engage with pressing medical questions and make a vital contributions to new diagnostic and therapeutic concepts.”

For her doctoral thesis in the field of clinical medicine, Tina Gabriel investigated how innovative ultrasound technology can contribute to the early and precise detection of diffuse liver diseases. By using H-scan imaging to analyze raw data from handheld ultrasound devices, she was able to show that this method enables practical differentiation of structural changes in liver tissue, thereby facilitating diagnosis, particularly in outpatient care. The work was supervised by Dr. Moritz Herzog and Prof. Jochen Hampe (both from the Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Digital Health).

Also working in the field of clinical medicine, Katrin Reichel evaluated the use of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with mild to moderate injuries in a clinical setting. Her results show that this method enables comprehensive and rapid diagnosis, thereby avoiding unnecessary radiation exposure from computer tomography, which is predominantly used today, and thus improving the quality of treatment. The work was supervised by Prof. Jens-Peter Kühn (Institute and Polyclinic of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology).

Jean-Paul Bereuter’s work focused on the liver as the the site for metastatic in colorectal carcinoma. For his theses in the experimental-theoretical field, he researched how their regenerative capacity influences the growth of remaining tumor cells after surgical procedures. Through his work, Bereuter identified molecular mechanisms that promote tumor growth after liver resection and demonstrated potential therapeutic approaches to minimize this risk. Prof. Daniel E. Stange supervised the work (Clinic and Polyclinic for VTG/Surgical Research Laboratory).

In her work, Lina Lüttich focused on the role of the c-Met receptor tyrosine kinase as a therapy target for head and neck tumors. She was able to show that inhibiting c-Met increases radiation sensitivity in a number of cancer cell lines. A retrospective analysis of a patient cohort showed that c-Met is less suitable as a prognostic biomarker. Her findings contribute to a better understanding of personalized therapies in oncology. The work was supervised by PD Dr. Annett Linge (Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology).

This year, there are three awards for experimental-natural sciences. Luise Rupp analyzed the distribution and function of T-lymphocytes and B cells in soft tissue sarcomas such as pancreas carcinomas. Her work delivers key insights into the immune architecture of lymphoid structures in these tumors and shows that the immune architecture influences the treatment outcomes of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The work was supervised by Prof. Marc Schmitz (Institute for Immunology).

Anna Kristina Hernandez researched how the nasal trigeminal system interacts with sense of smell and airflow in the nose. Her psychophysiological and objective measurements reveal differences between subjectively perceived nasal obstruction and the results of objective functional tests, thus providing innovative approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of olfactory disorders. The work was supervised by Prof. Thomas Hummel (Clinic and Polyclinic for ENT).

Xuan Peng developed a microfluidic system for producing hydrogel droplets, which can be used to efficiently generate large numbers of 3D tumor cell models. This technology makes it possible to study tumor biology and therapeutic response under realistic conditions and to test new drugs more quickly. The supervisors were Prof. Larysa Baraban and Prof. Michael Bachmann (Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Digital Health).

This year's publication award goes to Dyke Ferber for his publication “Development and validation of an autonomous artificial intelligence agent for clinical decision-making in oncology” in the journal Nature Cancer. Ferber developed and validated an autonomous AI agent that supports clinical decision-making in oncology. The study shows that the AI agent can evaluate complex medical data and provide therapy recommendations at the most advanced level. This is an significant step toward personalized, data-driven cancer medicine. The work was supervised by Prof. Jochen Hampe and Prof. Jakob N. Kather (Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Digital Health).

“Excellent research deserves recognition and support. We are delighted that we were able to team up once again with Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden to honor innovative dissertations and scientific publications,” emphasizes Prof. Andreas Deußen, Member of the Board of the Stiftung Hochschulmedizin Dresden foundation.

The award ceremony was held at the Dresden University Medicine campus with Representatives of the Foundation, the University Hospital, the Faculty of Medicine, and the Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden. Each award is endowed with up to EUR 1,000.

In 2024, just under 1,400 people completed their doctorates in Saxony. More than 13,000 people were in the process of obtaining a doctorate. Just under a third of all doctoral candidates are pursuing a doctorate in medicine and health sciences, with women accounting for over 64 percent of this group. At TU Dresden's Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine, 270 doctoral degrees were awarded in 2024, with 278 expected to be awarded in 2025. Women constitute 65 percent of that total.

The award winners:

Dr. med. Tina Gabriel: “H-Scan analysis of raw data from handheld ultrasound devices for the assessment of diffuse liver diseases”

Dr. med. Katrin Reichel: “The role of rapid whole-body MRI in the diagnosis of patients with mild to moderate injuries”

Dr. med. Jean-Paul Bereuter: “Impact of hepatic regeneration on residual tumor growth and identification of therapeutic intervention”

Dr. med. Lina Lüttich: “Evaluation of the receptor tyrosine kinase c-Met as a therapeutic target for radiation sensitization and as a prognostic biomarker in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma”

Dr. rer. Medic. Luise Rupp: “Frequency, phenotype, spatial distribution, therapeutic modulation, and clinical significance of T lymphocytes in soft tissue sarcoma and B cells in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma”

Anna Kristina Hernandez, PhD: “Investigating the Intranasal Trigeminal System and Its Interactions with Olfaction and Nasal Airflow / Obstruction Based on Psychophysical and Objective Airflow Tests”

Xuan Peng, PhD: “Hydrogel Droplet Microfluidics for High-throughput 3D Tumor Modeling and Engineering”

Publication award
Dyke Ferber: “Development and validation of an autonomous artificial intelligence agent for clinical decision-making in oncology”

Contact:
Anne-Stephanie Vetter
Staff Unit Public Relations of the Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine of TUD Dresden University of Technology
National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT/UCC) Dresden
+49 351 458 17903