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Dresden Science Night: Science Slam meets cancer research

20 June 2025

5:00 pm

University Hospital Dresden, house 91 (MTZ), lecture hall 1, Fiedlerstraße 42, 01307 Dresden

Cancer research made understandable: at our Science Slam during the Dresden Science Night!

Four researchers from the University Hospital Dresden, the Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Digital Health (EKFZ) at the TU Dresden, the NCT – National Center for Tumor Diseases and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) will present their projects in 10 minutes – compact, understandable and entertaining.

The event starts at 5 p.m. in lecture hall 2 of the Medical Technology Center (MTZ) and lasts about an hour.

Marco Gustav (EKFZ) will introduce the Science Slam format and provide insights into the life and work of a researcher. Christoph Schmitt from the DKFZ Patient Advisory Board will close the event. Topics range from innovative diagnostics to new therapeutic approaches. Props, pictures or models – anything that complies with the house rules is allowed. Creativity is strongly encouraged.

The event will be in German and the hosts are: Christoph Schmitt, DKFZ Patient Advisory Board and Marco Gustav, PhD student at EKFZ for Digital Health.

17:00 | Opening

Marco Gustav, Kather Lab, Clinical Artificial Intelligence | Evaluating tissue samples in pathology is hard and stressful. With the help of AI, pathology work could be easier.

Marco studied mechanical engineering in Hanover. His interest in AI led him to Dresden, and his passion for clear communication brought him to the Science Slam. In 2023, he was the German Science Slam Vice Champion.

Slams

Alternative medicine: Running through forests to detect cancer (Dr. Jan Clusmann is a postdoc for Clinical AI at EKFZ/TU Dresden)

Machine Learning for risk stratification of liver cancer | The Questions: Why is it so difficult for people to work preventively? Is it harder to avoid dropping a vase or to fix it once dropped? Do trees help us see the forest? What is worse for the liver: alcohol, poor academic performance, smoking, or genes? These are the questions we will explore together in this slam. Who knows? Maybe we will find an answer.

Jan Clusmann studied medicine in Aachen. He almost dropped out before the statistics exam. Now, he works with statistics every day.

Micro-heroes: What tiny robots can do for our health (Ann-Sophia Müller, DKFZ Dresden)

In the future, tiny robots will navigate independently through the human body. Their small size will enable them to access hard-to-reach areas of the body. There, they will be able to take tissue samples or deliver drugs precisely to tumor cells. This presentation will show how these robots are moved and localized.

Ann-Sophia Müller is pursuing her Ph.D. at the DKFZ and the Department of Computer Science at TU Dresden. She focuses on AI-supported simulation and optimization of microrobot movement.

Better understanding hereditary risks for tumor diseases (Dr. Arne Jahn, University Hospital Dresden, NCT)

Some cancer patients have an increased risk of developing cancer for genetic reasons. The Genetic Tumor Risk Syndromes research group at the NCT Dresden investigates the conditions under which genetic risk manifests as disease. As part of precision oncology, the goal is to develop personalized treatment plans for this group in the future.

Dr. Arne Jahn is a human genetics specialist and the head of the Genetic Tumor Risk Syndromes research group at Dresden University Hospital. Dr. Jahn developed his interest in science through lessons and the Biology Olympiad student competition. He studied medicine in Dresden. His research group focuses on investigating the genetic risks of rare hereditary tumor diseases. Dr. Jahn is part of the clinical genetics team, where he examines and advises patients.

Autonomous surgical robots of the future: Would you have an operation? (Rayan Younis, University Hospital Dresden, VTG, CeTI)

Surgical robots are now used all over the world. However, they are not really robots. They are devices that can be used for more precise operations. But what if they could actually operate on their own? How would I teach a robot to operate? How can I keep it under control? Honestly, would I let a robot like that operate on me if necessary?

Rayan Younis is a clinician scientist in the AI-supported assistance systems in surgery research group in the Department of Visceral, Thoracic, and Vascular Surgery at Dresden University Hospital and CeTI. Rayan Younis studied medicine in Heidelberg. He has often been at the operating table. On the other hand, he enjoys tinkering with electrical devices.

Complementary therapies in cancer medicine — a proposal by Christoph Schmitt

Christoph Schmitt is a development cooperation officer at the Saxon State Chancellery, where he oversees the regional partnership with Uganda. He underwent surgery at the university hospital in 2018 after being diagnosed with cancer. After a recurrence, he underwent two rounds of radiation therapy. In August 2024, he was appointed to the DKFZ Patient Advisory Board. He is also a graduate of the Patient Expert Academy. A seminar on complementary therapies inspired him to come up with this – not entirely serious – contribution.