SCIENTIFIC TRANSLATIONAL COMMITTEE
The Scientific Committee is responsible for exploring areas of unmet needs in head and neck cancer, as well as for exploring and formulating important scientific questions and developing research protocols.
COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP
INGEBORG TINHOFER-KEILHOLZ
Co-Chair
Dr. Tinhofer-Keilholz did her studies of biology at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. After graduation she worked at the Department of Hematology and Oncology at the Medical University Innsbruck. In 2006 she habilitated for Immunology / Tumor Immunology at the University Hospital Salzburg where she worked as group leader and chair of the Laboratory for Immunological and Molecular Cancer Research. Since 2008 she is head of the translational research laboratory of the Department of Radiooncology and Radiotherapy at the Charité, Berlin, Germany.
Her research interest focuses mainly on the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms which render HNSCC cells resistant to radiotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted treatment. By in-depth characterization of preclinical models and patient material from clinical trials she is aiming at the development of biomarkers for improved patient stratification and personalized treatment.
From 2008 to 2020, she coordinated the research activities of the Charité Comprehensive Cancer Center Working Group Head and Neck Cancer. From 2015 to 2022, she had been the Translational Research Representative from the EORTC HNC Group and since 2020 she is member of the ESMO Faculty (HNC Group). She serves as reviewer for Scientific Reports, Lancet Oncology, Oncotarget, Clinical Cancer Research, Annals of Surgical Oncology, Annals of Oncology, Cancer, European Journal of Cancer, BMC Cancer, International Journal of Cancer and Frontiers in Oncology.
JENS KLUSSMANN
Co-Chair
Dr. Jens Peter Klussmann, MD, is a Professor in Oto-Rhino-Laryngology Head and Neck Surgery.
Since 2018 he is the Chairman of the Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology Head and Neck Surgery, University of Cologne.
Before he was Chairman of the Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology Head and Neck Surgery of the University of Giessen and he was Medical Director of the University Hospital of Giessen. He was trained in Oto-Rhino-Laryngology at the University of Cologne and worked as research fellow at the Department of Pathology at the University of Iowa, USA and at the Sir Albert Sakzewksi Virus Research Center in Brisbane, Australia.
Jens Peter Klussmann is a leader in head and neck oncology with a focus on HPV-related HNSCCs. He was one of the first to demonstrate the association of HPV and oropharyngeal carcinomas and has extensively characterized these tumors. His group was able to showp16 as surrogate marker for HPV-related OPSCC and investigated further biomarkers. Further he is highly experienced in the initiation and conduct of clinical trials.
He is Chair of the German working group Oncology of the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. He is in the Presidential Council of the European Laryngological Society (ELS). He surfs as an associated editor for several national and international journals. He has written over 250 pre-reviewed publications, numerous book chapters and international guidelines.
JASON PARSONS
Deputy Chair
Professor Jason Parsons is the Chair of Radiation Biology at the University of Birmingham, UK. He initially acquired a BSc (Hons) in Medical Biochemistry and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Birmingham. He had postdoctoral research experience at the CRUK Paterson Institute for Cancer Research in Manchester, at the MRC Radiation and Genome Stability Unit in Harwell, and worked as a Senior Investigator Scientist at the CRUK/MRC Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology at the University of Oxford. Professor Parsons began his own independent research group at the University of Liverpool in 2012, where he became Honorary Lead for Radiobiology Research at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, and then Chair in Radiation Biology at the University.
Professor Parsons moved to the University of Birmingham in 2023, as Chair of Radiation Biology jointly appointed through the College of Medical and Dental Sciences and the College of Physics and Astronomy. The Parsons Group has a focus on analysing the molecular and cellular impact of different sources of radiotherapy (photons, protons and particle ions) with increasing ionisation densities (LET) on tumour models, particularly those of the head and neck. Additional interests are in biological (including hypoxia) and physical (e.g. dose rate/FLASH) factors that impact on tumour radiosensitisation. The major aim is in the identification of strategies using combinatorial drugs or inhibitors leading to the optimisation of the efficacy of radiotherapy in cancer treatment. Professor Parsons’ research is currently funded by grants from the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He has published >70 peer-reviewed articles and reviews, serves as an editor for a number of international journals, and is currently Vice-Chair of the Association for Radiation Research (ARR).
MEMBERSHIP
Neus Baste
Amaury Daste
Ellen Van Obberghen-Schilling
Caroline Even
Valentin Caluguru
Paolo Bossi
Laura Locati
Ester Orlandi
Devendra Chaukar
Gouri Pantvaidya
Sarbani Ghosh-Laskar
Rathan Subramaniam
Remco de Bree
Lewis WT Ng
Jorgen Johansen
Silke Tribius
Cesare Piazza
Fran Cuesta
Izaskun Valduvieco Ruiz
Fernando Lopez Alvarez
William Nassib William Jr
Luiz P Kowalski
Steve Chinn
Jessica Geiger
Vinita Takiar
Naomi Kiyota
Yuki Saito
Xueguan Lu
Yu Wang
Qunling Zhang