Merry Christmas 2020 from MSNZ

Now it's that time of the year again - actually the most beautiful time of the year, a time of reflection, memories and gratitude. But it is a very different standstill this year- we are in the second lockdown- a time of doubt, worry and perseverance. For our clinical colleagues, it is indeed a time of extreme effort and a stretching of the limits. The stories behind the people are deeply touching - and yet hope wants to arise. The hope that there will be a solution, that people will remember true humanity and respect, and that there is a way to become and stay healthy together. 

And it remains a time of gratitude. We as MSNZ Dresden have been supporting clinician and medical scientists in precision oncology for almost two years now. Certainly something to be grateful for. Because this support cannot be taken for granted. Therefore, we would like to thank especially our funder, the German Cancer Aid, for this highly valuable opportunity. We would also like to thank the cooperating hospitals and research institutes, the MSNZ scientific committee, the external SAB as well as all involved programs inside and outside the Dresden campus and of course all MSNZ fellows and their teams for fruitful collaborations.

This year, we are pleased to additionally support seven new research groups and thus 10 scientists on their individual career paths. With a mission to improve cancer therapies, elucidate basic oncologic mechanisms and bridging the gap between the clinical set-up and scientific innovation through teamwork, they provide hope for cancer patients.

Looking back this year, there is one thing to talk about. An early research center thrives on networking, on communication. It's annoying to keep then distance during this start-up phase. But we want to see new possibilities instead of empty rooms. After our life symposia in spring, we met virtually only for the time of the first lockdown and then switched to hybrid events. We held our meetups on various topics with a summer special and guests from Dresden/Milan and NewYork/Berlin. Our DataVis meetup with Helena Jambor was also very popular and is waiting with exciting topics around the visualization of your own data next year. Meetups on topics such as oncological care research, clinical trial management or "How to Get Published in a Peer-Reviewed Journal" are in the planing phase for 2021. Also, we are open to suggestions- what topic should appeal? Who knows an exceptional speakers that should definitely be heard in the Dresden community? We look forward to your input - get in touch with us! 

We even have some presents. Since October, the MSNZ provides so-called Clinical Fellowships for clinician scientists at all career stages. These short-term fellowships (6-12 months) are intended to allow for protected research time and thus facilitate the feasibility of the clinician scientist track. 

We thereby wish you and your families a blessed holiday season and this year, probably a deliberate and gentle move towards 2021!