Clinical Fellowships & Medical Doctorates

© Annika Graser

After completing her preclinical studies at Semmelweis University in Budapest, Annika Graser continued her academic and scientific career in Dresden in 2024.

Currently, she is working in the laboratory of Frank Buchholz, where she is contributing to the development of a universal CAR T-cell platform using the RevCAR system and umbilical cord blood-derived T cells.

The project is funded by the Deutsche Krebshilfe and is conducted in collaboration with the HZDR, the Fuchs group, and the Feldmann group.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship? "The MSNZ fellowship challenged me to step beyond my comfort zone, offering a transformative perspective on medicine and the treatment of disease. Looking ahead, my goal is to pursue a residency in internal medicine within the next five years, where I aim to integrate both research and clinical practice." 

© Philipp Lyons

Gastric cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease, with substantial variability in treatment response. While some patients respond favorably to chemotherapy, others experience little or no clinical benefit.

Preliminary data indicate that metabolic serum profiles of responders and non-responders differ detectably even before the first treatment cycle, suggesting a potential for early patient stratification.

This way, it will be possible to select personalized treatments for the patients to maximize its efficacy.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship? "I have always wanted to gather experience in the lab through my medical doctorate, so I will be grateful for the opportunity the MSNZ gave me to work on my thesis full time because of their support. Furthermore, I will be able to identify how the funding and the association to other scientists helped me improve my thesis." 

© Karl Petschick

Since 2020, Karl Petschick has been pursuing his medical studies at TU Dresden.

In November 2025, he commenced his experimental doctoral research under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Frank Buchholz in Dresden.

His research focuses on developing a targeted delivery system for RNA therapeutics in solid tumor cells.

Additionally, as part of the SaxoCell Cluster, he collaborates with the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI) in Leipzig.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship? "In five years, as an internist or general practitioner, the MSNZ funding will be recognized as a pivotal opportunity that allowed me to independently develop and execute a research project based on original ideas. This experience not only provided a foundation for potential advancement in cancer research but also fostered essential skills in scientific methodology, coordination, and project management. These competencies will continue to be instrumental in both clinical practice and research endeavours." 

© Theodor Rößler

Theodor Rößler has been studying medicine at TU Dresden since 2022. His primary interest lies in oncology, where he is currently pursuing advanced training and writing his medical dissertation.

Alongside his studies, he works in patient care within the hematology department at the university hospital.

Additionally, he volunteers as an elected member of the faculty council and serves on the study commission.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship? "After successfully completing my Ph.D., I began working as a clinician-scientist at a university hospital. Thanks to the MSNZ fellowship, I also have the opportunity to build on my experience in wet lab research." 

© Alina Solbrig

Alina Solbrig has been a medical student at Dresden University of Technology since 2022.

In October 2025, she started her experimental doctoral studies at the Seifert Lab in the Department of Visceral, Thoracic, and Vascular Surgery at Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital in Dresden.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship? "The MSZN clinical fellowship enables me to dedicate myself fully to my research project while gaining invaluable experience in the scientific field. My long-term goal is to integrate research with clinical practice in my medical career, ensuring the highest standard of patient care." 

© Lenja Voigt

Immunotherapies have transformed oncology, but still durable benefit is restricted to a minority of cancer patients. Clinically approved biomarkers have either limited predictive value or yield few positives.

In my project, I intend to improve response prediction by integrating an immune activity score based on phosphoproteomic data, assessing antigen presentation and T-cell activation.

I aim to optimize this immune activity score in order to investigate it as a possible biomarker candidate.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship? "In five years' time, I hope to have completed my medical studies and doctoral research. Looking back I will always see the MSNZ Fellowship as the beginning of my journey into clinical science. It laid the foundation for my scientific network and shaped my path towards a career as a clinician scientist in oncology." 

© Karl Wagner

Karl Wagner has been studying medicine at the Technical University of Dresden since 2022.

Currently, he is conducting his experimental doctoral research in the Laboratory of Experimental Dermatooncology under the supervision of Professor Friedegund Meier at the Department of Dermatology.

His project will focus on investigating the resistance mechanisms in melanoma metastases that have become resistant to targeted therapy with the aim of identifying novel therapeutic strategies for this patient population.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship? "My long-term aspiration is to establish a career in clinical-scientific dermato-oncology, integrating patient care with cutting-edge research. The MSNZ Fellowship provides me with the invaluable opportunity to acquire hands-on experience in experimental research and to contribute actively to the development of translational, patient-centered therapies." 

© Alicia Beyer

Alicia Beier is a medical student at the TU Dresden. As part of her MD- thesis she works at the research laboratory of the Department of Urology on new therapies for prostate cancer since August 2020.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship? "Thanks to the MSNZ Clinical Fellowship, I can fully concentrate on my research project and hope to contribute to the development of alternative therapies for prostate cancer. Collaborations within the framework of the interdisciplinary MSNZ network, might help me to remain involved in clinical research on the long run."

© Thomas Albrecht

Jan-Niklas studied medicine at the Georg-August University in Göttingen. During his dissertation at the Max-Planck-Institute for Experimental Medicine he focused on tumor microenvironment using organoid models and intravital molecular imaging.

In 2018, Jan started his residency in hematology and oncology at the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus in Dresden. Last year he started working at the Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Hematology group at the Medical Clinic 1.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship?  "The interdisciplinarity and interconnectedness of the MSNZ allows researchers to find common goals and interests and collaborate across fields. The support of the MSNZ enables me to focus both on my research and continue my residency with great diligence."  

© Marlena Hesse

Marlena Hesse has been studying medicine at the TU Dresden since 2020. She completed the preclinical part in Hungary at the University of Pécs. Since October 2021, Marlena has been working on her doctorate at the urological department.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship? "Thanks to the MSNZ Clinical Fellowship, I am able to put my complete focus on research  and already gain valuable scientific experience. In doing so, it is important for me to build up a skillset for my upcoming time as Clincian Scientist."

© Sofia Kolovich

Sofia Kolovich completed her Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences at the Ohio State University in 2021. Sofia is joining the "Non-coding RNAs in cancer" group at the National Center for Tumor diseases Dresden for a one-year post-baccalaureate clinical fellowship program.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship?  "In 5 years, I hope to have learned a lot of new information about leukemia and developed the field of oncology with my research project. I also hope to be attending medical school to realize my dream of being a physician." 

© Andy Goebel

Romy Riffel initially received training as a technical assistant for medical research. Subsequently, she studied medicine at the TU Dresden. 2016 Romy started her MD thesis at the Bone Lab Dresden. In 2019 she started her residency at the Medical Department III at the Universitätsklinikum Dresden.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship?  "In 5 years, I want to be a junior group leader to further advance oncological research. The MSNZ clinical fellowship worked as a cornerstone for my career as a clinician scientist and gave me the opportunity to transfer knowledge from bench to bedside."

© Martin Schneider

Martin Schneider studied medicine at the University of Erlangen-Nurnberg with a preclinical semester abroad at the University of Manitoba in Canada and a clinical study visit at the University of Melbourne in Australia. His dissertation focused on the mechanism of immunotherapy in the context of inflammatory disease both in vitro and in vivo. After starting his residency in internal medicine, hematology and oncology at the University Hospital Erlangen in 2018, he moved to the Medical Clinic I at the University Hospital Dresden in 2022 to advance new methods in the field of hematology in the research group "Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Hematology".

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship?  "Through the MSNZ Clinical Fellowship, I was able to do scientific work alongside my residency training to establish novel approaches in diagnostics and therapy for malignant hematologic diseases."

© Julien Subburayalu

Julien Subburayalu studied Medicine in Essen and London. In his medical dissertation he investigated several aspects of the adaptive immune system in the context of kidney transplantation at the University of Duisburg-Essen. Currently, he works towards his Ph.D., funded by the ‘Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes’ and AstraZeneca, on programmed cell death in innate immune cells at the University of Cambridge. Julien will start his residency at the Medical Clinic 1 at the University hospital in summer, while focussing on the application of macrophages as cancer treatment in the group of Michael Sieweke at CRTD Dresden. 

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship?  "I am very passionate about being able to work at the interface of adaptive and innate immunity. Having been offered to join this exciting project in the Sieweke group, I hope to contribute my part in the pursuit of identifying novel ways to oppose solid tumour entities using lowly adverse cellular ‘high-precision’ therapies." 

© Yana Vassileva

Yana Vassileva studied human medicine at the TU Dresden and worked as a physician in Switzerland and Germany for two years. Researching novel biomarkers for ovarian cancer as part of her medical dissertation showed her the importance and power of computational methods for understanding the aetiology of cancer.

She is currently studying "Computational Modeling and Simulation" at TU Dresden and is a member of the research group Biomedical Genomics, led by Dr. Anna Poetsch at BIOTEC and NCT Dresden.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship? "The MSNZ clinical fellowship offers an excellent opportunity for physicians or medical students to dedicate themselves to research. This is particularly important, as establishing a strong collaboration between physicians and scientists is the most efficient way to advance personalised medicine."

© Noemi Balbi

Noemi Balbi completed her bachelor's degree in biology focussing on immunology at Freie Universität Berlin in 2016. 

She then began her medical studies at the Medical and Pharmaceutical University Iuliu Hațieganu in Romania, which she has been continuing at the Technische Unversität Dresden since May 2020.

Noemi has been working on her doctorate since October 2020 in the Seifert Lab at the Clinic for Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery at the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship?  "Through application-oriented research, I hope to contribute to  new therapeutic methods in cancer medicine. The interdisciplinary networking and exchange through the MSNZ has been a valuable experience for my professional and personal development." 

Max Iltzsche is a medical student at the TUD. Starting as off October 2021 he does his experimental doctoral thesis in the Urology Lab on the induction of interferons during immunotherapy in bladder and prostate cancer.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship? "Thanks to the MSNZ Fellowship, I can put all my energy into my research project and thus lay a foundation for a dual career in clinic and science. This will have enabled me to efficiently bring my knowledge from bench to bedside."

© Leonie Imberger

Leonie Imberger is a medical student at TU Dresden and Université Aix-Marseille. Starting from October 2022 she is working on her doctoral thesis with the Biomedical Genomics group of Anna Poetsch.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship? "In five years, I will look back to my MSNZ Clinical Fellowship as the unique experience that introduced me to the world of research and scientific practice. Critical thinking skills that I have acquired during this time will be incredibly valuable for both my work as a clinician and for future research projects." 

© Thomas Albrecht

Berj Khatchadourian is a medical Student at TUD. For his doctoral thesis in the institute of Clinical Chemistry he will be focusing on cancer metabolism and its involvement in the chemotherapy resistance.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship? "Doctors are in an optimal position to view clinical problems firsthand and apply available science to help address these issues. Researchers can take these problems to the lab and use science to work towards an innovative solution. I want to pursue this path of clinician scientist and contribute to cancer research and therapeutics."

© Pia Michler

Pia Michler is a medical student at the Technische Universität Dresden. In August 2020 she has startet her experimental doctorate at the Department of Pediatric Oncology with Prof. Julia Hauer.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship? "In 5 years, I see myself as a resident in pediatrics. I understand research as part of my medical education and training in addition to my clinical work, I was able to gain valuable scientific experience during my medical doctorate. I would like to implement the the gained insights into the clinical care of patients in my further professional life."

© Clara Ortmann

After finishing her premedical studies at the Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary, Clara Ortmann continued with the clinical part of medical school at TUD. In October 2021, she started her doctoral thesis in the Tandem Lab Mircetic/Garcia at MSNZ.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship?  "In five years, I see myself as a resident in the field of visceral surgery. Building upon the experiences that I gained during my clinical fellowship at MSNZ, I would like to combine my scientific and clinical knowledge for an optimal patient care." 

© Nils Rheude

Nils Rheude is studying medicine at TUD since 2020. He accomplished his preclinical part in hungary at the University Pécs. For his experimental doctoral thesis he is now going to find new target genes for cancer immunotherapy at the Buchholz lab at Biotec Dresden in collaboration with the HZDR and MSNZ group Arndt/Fasslrinner.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship? "In 5 years I want to be doing my residency as an internist.Thereby Iwould like to implement the aquired knowledge of genome surgery and immunotherapy into my clinical practice. It drives me to contribute to modern cancer research." 

© Juliana Schulz

Juliana Schulz is a 4^th year medical student at TU Dresden. She completed her preclinical studies at Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary. From April 2022 onwards, she will work on her doctoral thesis at the department for Translational Medical Oncology at NCT/UCC Dresden.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship? "In 5 years, I see myself as a resident in the field of internal medicine. The MSNZ fellowship enabled me to dedicate myself to translational research during my studies and to contribute to personalized oncology, as well as to gain experience in interdisciplinary cooperation.  Together with the acquired scientific skills and experience, this will form the basis for my aspired career as a Clinician Scientist."

© Ferdinand Suttorp

Ferdinand Suttorp completed his preclinical studies at the Medical Faculty of the University of Pécs (Hungary). In 2021, he continued his studies at the TU Dresden in the 5th semester. Since October 2022, Ferdinand has been pursuing his doctoral thesis in the Buchholz Lab.

How do you see yourself in 5 years looking back to the experience of the MSNZ clinical fellowship?  "I am aiming for a residency in an internal medicine. I want to try to apply modern gene therapy to patients. The MSNZ Fellowship provides  the foundation to combine scientific work with clinical activity."