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Freiburg assistant doctor and scientist at the Department of Radiation Oncology receives awards for outstanding doctoral thesis

At the beginning of November, Dr. Alexander Rühle was awarded two doctoral prizes by the University of Freiburg for his dissertation in the field of radiobiology of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The assistant physician in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg is a fellow of the IMM-PACT program for Clinician Scientists, which is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

On the one hand, Rühle received the Karl Joseph Beck Prize, endowed with 3,000 euros, which is awarded by the Rhenania Education Foundation. Secondly, he was awarded the Prize for Science and Research of theROMIUS Foundation, also endowed with 3,000 euros. Both prizes are awarded for outstanding doctorates in the field of human medicine.

In his medical doctorate, Rühle researched the effects of DNA-damaging chemotherapeutics and ionizing radiation on MSCs. Due to their biological properties, these multipotent cells are essential in the regeneration of damaged tissue. Regardless of their tissue of origin, MSCs are relatively resistant to ionizing photon and particle irradiation. They largely retain their defining stem cell properties even at high radiation doses. In the future, MSCs could therefore possibly be used to treat radiation- and chemotherapy-related side effects.

Rühle's work originated at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg and is now being continued at the Department of Radiation Oncology in the working group ofProf. Dr. Dr. Nils Henrik Nicolay, Senior Consultant at the Department of Radiation Oncology, in cooperation with the DKFZ. His work has already been honored with this year's dissertation prize of the German Society for Radiation Oncology (DEGRO).

Caption: Dr. Alexander Rühle, assistant physician in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, receives two doctoral prizes.
Image source: Private

Contact:
Dr. Alexander Rühle
Department of Radiation Oncology
Medical Center - University of Freiburg
alexander.ruehle@uniklinik-freiburg.de