CV
Univ. Prof. Dr. med. Matthias Fischer
Academic education
1991 - 1999: Medical School, University of Cologne
Scientific degrees
07/2007: Habilitation in Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne
06/2002: M.D., Medical School, University of Cologne, Summa cum Laude: “Charakterisierung der Antikörpergene humaner CD5-positiver B-Zellen und Plasmazellen der Darmschleimhaut mittels Einzelzell-PCR” (Supervisor: Ralf Küppers, PhD; Department I for Internal Medicine, University of Cologne, Head: Volker Diehl, M.D.)
05/1999: Graduation from Medical School, University of Cologne, Summa cum Laude
Scientific career
2016 - present: W2 Professorship, Head of the Department of Experimental Pediatric Oncology, University of Cologne
2015 - 2016: Research period at the Max-Planck-Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne (Laboratory Prof. Dr. J. Brüning)
2014 - present: Deputy head of the Department of Pediatric Oncology, University Hospital of Cologne
2013: Appointment as Professor for Pediatrics, University of Cologne
2009 - present: Consultant pediatric oncologist, University Hospital of Cologne
2006: Board examination pediatrics
2005 - 2009: Resident physician, Department of Pediatric Oncology, University Hospital of Cologne
2001 - 2015: Independent research group leader, Department of Pediatric Oncology, University Hospital of Cologne
1999 - 2005: Resident physician, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of Cologne
Honors/ Awards/ Memberships
2018: Adalbert-Czerny Award, German Society of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ)
2018: Elected member of the ANRA Steering Committee
2017: Board of Directors of the international Massive Analysis and Quality Control (MAQC) Society
2017: Head of the national Biobank Neuroblastoma
2017: Principal Investigator at the Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne
2016: Gerhard-Domagk-Award 2016, Gerhard Domagk-Stiftung, Münster
2015: Board member of the Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO) Köln-Bonn
2014: Member of the Trial Committee of the Registry Individualized Therapy for Relapsed Malignancies in Childhood (INFORM)
2014: Elected member of the international Advances in Neuroblastoma Research Association (ANRA) Advisory Board
2011: Member of the International Neuroblastoma Response Criteria (INPC) and the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group (INRG) consortia
2011: Member of the national Neuroblastoma Trial Committee
1994 - 1998: Scholar of the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes
Contact Information
Univ. Prof. Dr. med. Matthias Fischer
Professor (W2) and Head of the Department of Experimental Pediatric Oncology
University Hospital of Cologne
Department of Experimental Pediatric Oncology
Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC)
10 most relevant publications
- Werr L, Boland J, Petersen J, Iglesias F, Höppner S, Bartenhagen C, Rosswog C, Hellmann AM, Kahlert Y, Hemstedt N, Ibruli N, Dammert MA, Decarolis B, Werner JM, Malchers F, Schramm K, Witt O, Beiske KH, Rognlien AGW, Gunnes MW, Langenberg KP, Molenaar J, Bernkopf M, Taschner-Mandl S, Hughes D, George SL, Chesler L, Schulte JH, Barone G, Capasso M, Surrey LF, Bagatell R, Masliah-Planchon J, Schleiermacher G, Grüll H, Westermann F, Schultheis AM, Büttner R, Henssen AG, Eggert A, Peifer M, Shukla NN, Simon T, Hero B, Reinhardt HC, Thomas RK, Fischer M. Mutated FGFR1 is an oncogenic driver and therapeutic target in high-risk neuroblastoma. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2026;136(7). doi:10.1172/JCI189152
- Werr L, Bartenhagen C, Rosswog C, Cartolano M, Voegele C, Sexton-Oates A, di Genova A, Ernst A, Kahlert Y, Hemstedt N, Höppner S, Mansuet Lupo A, Pelosi G, Brcic L, Papotti M, George J, Bosco G, Quaas A, Tang LH, Robzyk K, Kadota K, Roh MS, Fanaroff RE, Falcon CJ, Büttner R, Lantuejoul S, Rekhtman N, Rudin CM, Travis WD, Alcala N, Fernandez-Cuesta L, Foll M, Peifer M, Thomas RK, Fischer M. TERT Expression and Clinical Outcome in Pulmonary Carcinoids. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2025;43(2):214-225. doi:10.1200/JCO.23.02708
- Shimada H, Fischer M, Tonini GPT, Tornóczky T. Peripheral Neuroblastic Tumours, Neuroblastoma; 356-362. WHO Classification of Tumours, 5th Edition – Paediatric Tumours. 2022. Lyon (France): International Agency for Research on Cancer.
- Rosswog C, Bartenhagen C, Welte A, Kahlert Y, Hemstedt N, Lorenz W, Cartolano M, Ackermann S, Perner S, Vogel W, Altmüller J, Nürnberg P, Hertwig F, Göhring G, Lilienweiss E, Stütz AM, Korbel JO, Thomas RK, Peifer M, Fischer M. Chromothripsis followed by circular recombination drives oncogene amplification in human cancer. Nat Genet. 2021;53(12):1673-1685. doi:10.1038/s41588-021-00951-7
- Fischer M, Moreno L, Ziegler DS, Marshall L v, Zwaan CM, Irwin MS, Casanova M, Sabado C, Wulff B, Stegert M, Wang L, Hurtado FK, Branle F, Geoerger B, Schulte JH. Ceritinib in paediatric patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive malignancies: an open-label, multicentre, phase 1, dose-escalation and dose-expansion study. Lancet Oncol. 2021;22(12):1764-1776. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00536-2
- Ackermann S, Cartolano M, Hero B, Welte A, Kahlert Y, Roderwieser A, Bartenhagen C, Walter E, Gecht J, Kerschke L, Volland R, Menon R, Heuckmann JM, Gartlgruber M, Hartlieb S, Henrich KO, Okonechnikov K, Altmüller J, Nürnberg P, Lefever S, de Wilde B, Sand F, Ikram F, Rosswog C, Fischer J, Theissen J, Hertwig F, Singhi AD, Simon T, Vogel W, Perner S, Krug B, Schmidt M, Rahmann S, Achter V, Lang U, Vokuhl C, Ortmann M, Büttner R, Eggert A, Speleman F, O’Sullivan RJ, Thomas RK, Berthold F, Vandesompele J, Schramm A, Westermann F, Schulte JH, Peifer M, Fischer M. A mechanistic classification of clinical phenotypes in neuroblastoma. Science (1979). 2018;362(6419):1165-1170. doi:10.1126/science.aat6768
- Peifer M, Hertwig F, Roels F, Dreidax D, Gartlgruber M, Menon R, Krämer A, Roncaioli JL, Sand F, Heuckmann JM, Ikram F, Schmidt R, Ackermann S, Engesser A, Kahlert Y, Vogel W, Altmüller J, Nürnberg P, Thierry-Mieg J, Thierry-Mieg D, Mariappan A, Heynck S, Mariotti E, Henrich KO, Gloeckner C, Bosco G, Leuschner I, Schweiger MR, Savelyeva L, Watkins SC, Shao C, Bell E, Höfer T, Achter V, Lang U, Theissen J, Volland R, Saadati M, Eggert A, de Wilde B, Berthold F, Peng Z, Zhao C, Shi L, Ortmann M, Büttner R, Perner S, Hero B, Schramm A, Schulte JH, Herrmann C, O’Sullivan RJ, Westermann F, Thomas RK, Fischer M. Telomerase activation by genomic rearrangements in high-risk neuroblastoma. Nature. 2015;526(7575):700-704. doi:10.1038/nature14980
- Schramm A, Köster J, Assenov Y, Althoff K, Peifer M, Mahlow E, Odersky A, Beisser D, Ernst C, Henssen AG, Stephan H, Schröder C, Heukamp L, Engesser A, Kahlert Y, Theissen J, Hero B, Roels F, Altmüller J, Nürnberg P, Astrahantseff K, Gloeckner C, de Preter K, Plass C, Lee S, Lode HN, Henrich KO, Gartlgruber M, Speleman F, Schmezer P, Westermann F, Rahmann S*, Fischer M*, Eggert A*, Schulte JH*. Mutational dynamics between primary and relapse neuroblastomas. Nat Genet. 2015;47(8):872-877. doi:10.1038/ng.3349 *equal contributions
- Oberthuer A, Hero B, Berthold F, Juraeva D, Faldum A, Kahlert Y, Asgharzadeh S, Seeger R, Scaruffi P, Tonini GP, Janoueix-Lerosey I, Delattre O, Schleiermacher G, Vandesompele J, Vermeulen J, Speleman F, Noguera R, Piqueras M, Bénard J, Valent A, Avigad S, Yaniv I, Weber A, Christiansen H, Grundy RG, Schardt K, Schwab M, Eils R, Warnat P, Kaderali L, Simon T, DeCarolis B, Theissen J, Westermann F, Brors B, Fischer M. Prognostic Impact of Gene Expression–Based Classification for Neuroblastoma. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2010;28(21):3506-3515. doi:10.1200/JCO.2009.27.3367
- Oberthuer A, Berthold F, Warnat P, Hero B, Kahlert Y, Spitz R, Ernestus K, König R, Haas S, Eils R, Schwab M, Brors B, Westermann F, Fischer M. Customized Oligonucleotide Microarray Gene Expression–Based Classification of Neuroblastoma Patients Outperforms Current Clinical Risk Stratification. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2006;24(31):5070-5078. doi:10.1200/JCO.2006.06.1879
