Welcome
Heidelberg, Zürich, Stanford, Munich, Miami
Google scholar ~ 2400 citations, H-index = 20
Current Research (published 2026, or in press)
- Single-Molecule AFM-based Force Spectroscopy
Molecular VLA-4/VCAM-1 interactions between living melanoma and endothelial cells studied at the single-molecule level under physiological conditions.
- Cancer Cell Adhesion & Metastasis
Mechanisms of tumor-cell rolling, arrest, and vascular adhesion under shear flow, with a particular focus on VLA-4/VCAM-1 and the early steps of metastatic dissemination.
- CD44-Mediated Cell Rolling
Dissecting CD44/hyaluronan-mediated rolling from dominant integrin-dependent adhesion in leukocytes and tumor cells.
- Liquid Biopsy, Circulating Tumor Cells & Tumor Dissemination
Liquid biopsy as a window into tumor evolution and dissemination, with particular emphasis on circulating tumor cells, organ-specific metastasis, and the concept of metastasis-initiating cells. Recent work has focused especially on liquid biopsy and circulating tumor cells in malignant tumors, including glioblastoma.
Latest 2026 Publications (incl. in press) - News
Circulating Tumor Cells in Glioblastoma
Review of the biology, detection, and potential clinical significance of circulating tumor cells in glioblastoma, including their implications for tumor dissemination and liquid biopsy.
CD44-Mediated Monocyte Rolling
Separation of CD44-dependent rolling from dominant VLA-4-mediated adhesion under shear flow.
VLA-4/VCAM-1-Mediated Melanoma Cell Adhesion
Chemokine-independent rolling and arrest of B16 melanoma cells under physiological shear conditions.
Single-Molecule Cancer Cell Adhesion
Single-molecule force spectroscopy of VLA-4/VCAM-1 interactions directly between living melanoma and endothelial cells.
Sept. 2026 — Invited to join an Editorial Board
Selected Recognition
Sigma Xi — Full Member, since 2023
Cancers Outstanding Reviewer Award
Top 1000 Reviewers
Highly Cited Paper Award
Best Paper Award
About Me
I am a physician-scientist with a long-standing interest in cancer biology, cell adhesion, and the biophysical mechanisms of cell–cell interactions.
The common thread throughout my scientific work has been the biology of cancer metastasis. My scientific work began at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg and continued at the University Hospital Zurich, where I worked on the molecular genetics of human brain tumors. This interest in the mechanisms of tumor dissemination subsequently led me to Stanford University, where I focused on leukocyte and tumor-cell adhesion, vascular homing mechanisms, and the molecular interactions that regulate cell rolling and arrest under shear flow.
Later work in Munich, Mainz, and Miami extended these questions to atomic force microscopy and single-molecule force spectroscopy, allowing receptor–ligand interactions to be studied directly between living cells under physiological conditions.
My current work follows these complementary perspectives on tumor dissemination: from molecular adhesion mechanisms and single-molecule receptor–ligand interactions to circulating tumor cells and liquid biopsy. Current interests include VLA-4/VCAM-1-mediated melanoma cell adhesion, CD44-dependent cell rolling, single-molecule biophysics, organ-specific metastasis, metastasis-initiating cells, and the potential of liquid biopsy and circulating tumor cells in all metastatic cancers and also brain tumors.