Christoph-Schmelzer Award presented to two young researchers
24.11.2025 |
Two young researchers have been awarded this year’s Christoph Schmelzer Prize: Dr. Cristina Totis from the Technical University of Darmstadt and Dr. Stefanie Bertschi from the Technical University of Dresden were honored for their outstanding doctoral theses. The award, presented annually by the Association for the Promotion of Tumor Therapy with Heavy Ions, recognizes exceptional research in the field of ion beam cancer therapy. The recipients accepted their awards on November 20 during a ceremonial event at the GSI/FAIR campus in Darmstadt.
The opening address was given by Dr. Katharina Stummeyer, Administrative Managing Director of GSI and FAIR. Professor Klemens Zink, chair of the board of the association, welcomed the participants. The keynote speech was given by Professor Christian Richter of OncoRay, the National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology on the topic “Improving precision in particle therapy: better prediction, measurement, and immediate adaptation of particle range”.
Dr. Cristina Totis was awarded for her dissertation, “The immunogenic potential of carbon ions and the involved mechanisms in tumor cells.” Her research focuses on how carbon ion irradiation can activate the immune system and achieve a systemic anti-tumor effect. She compared the immunogenic potential of carbon ions to that of conventional X-rays in radiation-resistant tumors cells, such as breast cancer and osteosarcoma cells. Her findings demonstrate that carbon ion irradiation leads to a more pronounced release of specific immune-stimulating molecules than X-rays, suggesting a stronger activation of the immune system. This work provides important insights for combining heavy ion therapy with immunotherapies. Dr. Totis performed her experimental work in the Biophysics Department at GSI under the supervision of Professor Claudia Fournier. She is currently postdoc at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, that will be the site of the first carbon ion therapy center in the USA.
Dr. Stefanie Bertschi received the award for her thesis, “Towards the Application of Prompt-Gamma Imaging in Online Adaptive Proton Therapy.” She improved prompt-gamma imaging (PGI) as a verification method for online adaptive proton therapy (OAPT), enhancing its precision and normal tissue sparing capabilities. She has optimized the workflow and successfully implemented it into an ongoing clinical study. Furthermore, she demonstrated the potential of PGI for a substantial reduction of safety margins in prostate cancer patients, thus representing an important tool for quality assurance in OAPT.
The prize money for the dissertations is 1500 Euro each. The Christoph-Schmelzer Award is named in honor of Professor Christoph Schmelzer, co-founder and first Scientific Managing Director of GSI. The promotion of young scientists in the field of tumor therapy with ion beams has meanwhile been continuing for many years, and the award was presented for the 27th time. The topics of the award-winning theses are of fundamental importance for the further development of ion beam therapy and often find their way into clinical application. (BP)
About the Association
The Association for the Promotion of Tumor Therapy supports research activities in the field of tumor therapy with heavy ions with the aim of improving the treatment of tumors and making it available to general patient care. At the accelerator facility at GSI, more than 400 patients with tumors in the head and neck area were treated with ion beams as part of a pilot project from 1997 to 2008. The cure rates of this method are sometimes over 90 percent and the side effects are very low. The success of the pilot project led to the establishment of clinical ion beam therapy centers in Heidelberg and Marburg, where patients are now regularly treated with heavy ions.
Further information
Association for the Promotion of Tumor Therapy with Heavy Ions
