Helmholtz Doctoral Prize for Celia Dobersalske

Each year, the Helmholtz Association honors early-career scientists from each of its six research fields who have completed their doctorates with outstanding results with a Doctoral Prize. Celia Dobersalske, this year’s prize winner in the field of Health, conducts research at the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) at the West German Tumor Center under the supervision of Björn Scheffler.

She receives the award for her discovery that highly potent immune cells reside in the skull bone marrow of patients with glioblastoma. These cells, located in close proximity to the aggressive brain tumor, could play a crucial role in cancer defense and thus offer a new perspective for the treatment of this dangerous cancer. In light of this new data, it is also worth reconsidering how damage to the local bone marrow could be minimized during surgical procedures to remove glioblastoma.

The Helmholtz Doctoral Prize is endowed with €5,000 in prize money. In addition, winners receive a travel and incidental expenses allowance of up to €12,000 for a research stay abroad.

Celia Dobersalske studied Medical Biology at the University of Duisburg-Essen. After completing her doctorate, she is continuing her research as a postdoctoral fellow at the DKTK partner site Essen/Düsseldorf in Translational Neurooncology.

Link to original DKFZ press release (German)

Link to Helmholtz press release

Link to publication press release (German)

Link to original publication