Affiliation: Technical University of Munich, Institute for Experimental Cancer Therapy, Center for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM)

Dr. Tschurtschenthaler is a Junior Group Leader at the Technical University of Munich. He was born in South Tyrol, Italy and studied molecular biology at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. He then moved to the United Kingdom, where he received his PhD from the University of Cambridge. During his PhD training with Prof. Arthur Kaser, he investigated how genetic and environmental risk factors associated with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) contribute to the development of intestinal inflammation. After that, Dr. Tschurtschenthaler aimed to combine his knowledge of mucosal immunology and epithelial regeneration and apply it to colorectal cancer research. With prestigious fellowships from EMBO and Marie Skłodowska Curie, he joined the group of Prof. Dieter Saur in Munich, Germany, where he studied the causes and consequences of inflammation in subtypes of sporadic intestinal cancers. Since 2019, Dr. Tschurtschenthaler and his junior research group have been elucidating molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis in the intestine and investigating the role of the tumor microenvironment (microbiota, immune and stromal cells) in the development and progression of colorectal cancer. With the help of preclinical models, organoid technology, functional screens and state-of-the art sequencing technology, they aim of developing personalized and improved therapies.