Else Kröner-Forschungskolleg

After a successful interim review, the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Foundation is now funding a second term of our Tübingen Training Network on the topic of "Therapy Resistance of Solid Tumors" until December 31, 2024.

Therapeutic strategies currently used in clinical routine for solid tumors do not usually lead to a cure of the disease. Deciphering the molecular mechanisms of acquired resistance to therapy is therefore of fundamental importance in order to develop innovative therapeutic approaches for overcoming it. However, sustainable progress requires ongoing and programmatic bridging between basic science and clinical application. This, in turn, requires synergistic collaboration and competent exchange between all the players involved. Only in this way will it be possible to generate basic scientific findings that meet the needs of patients in the long term. Conversely, this is also the only way to ensure that treating physicians understand the relevant basic science findings and can analyze them in terms of applicability. A systematic and focused postgraduate support and demand of talented junior staff must therefore ensure that they are enabled to build this bridge in the medium and long term in their career as Clinician Scientists, Medical Scientists or even Data Scientists.

The concept of the Else Kröner Forschungskolleg Tübingen for young physicians starts at this point and aims at teaching and strengthening the following competencies: Recognition of unresolved clinical issues in tumor therapy, acquisition of sound competencies in innovative basic science work, learning of competencies for a clinical translation of relevant basic science findings to clinical application. The necessary synergistic (content-related) cooperation in own research projects and national research networks requires effective self-organization and self-control, from which a team-oriented cooperative way of thinking and acting emerges.

In its first funding period, the Else Kröner Forschungskolleg Tübingen enabled the fellows to start or continue their research in basic science and translational projects of Tübingen research laboratories in the fields of imaging, gastrointestinal oncology, neuro-oncology, radio-oncology by providing research exemptions and training opportunities. This enabled us to inspire and attract them to research. It enabled them to achieve a stage-appropriate individual scientific development progress and next career step.

For the second term, we are building on this proven concept and strengths. Since the scientific environment at the Tübingen site has developed further since the first funding period (e.g. three clusters of excellence, M3 Institute, NCT expansion, etc.), we will continue the work in the second funding period with new priority areas. The overarching scientific theme remains "Therapy resistance of solid tumors". In the research projects of the collegiate researchers, we aim to strengthen those related to the excellence clusters iFIT, Machine Learning, CMFI and the M3 Institute.