Biography:Florian Markowetz

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Short description: Cancer researcher
Florian Markowetz

Alma materHeidelberg University, Free University of Berlin
Scientific career
InstitutionsCancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Tailor Bio
Thesis (2006)
Websitewww.cruk.cam.ac.uk/research-groups/markowetz-group

Florian Markowetz is the Professor of Computational Oncology at the University of Cambridge.[1] He is a Senior Group Leader at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute and Director and co-founder of Tailor Bio, a genomics company aiming to improve precision medicine for cancers with high levels of chromosomal instability.[2][3]

Education

Markowetz has degrees in Mathematics and Philosophy from Heidelberg University and completed his PhD in Computational Biology from the Free University of Berlin, for which he was awarded an Otto-Hahn Medal by the Max Planck Society.[4]

Research and career

Markowetz's research combines machine learning and artificial intelligence with experimental techniques ranging from single cell sequencing to tissue imaging to understand the mechanisms behind chromosomal instability; how to target cancer weaknesses with therapies; how to overcome resistance to treatment; and how to improve the early detection of cancer.

His team have developed a compendium of 17 copy number signatures characterising different types of chromosomal instability. These chromosomal instability signatures were able to predict how tumours might respond to drugs, as well as helping in the identification of future drug targets.[5][6][7][8][9][10] This research has led to the formation of Tailor Bio, a genomics company which aims to build a new pan-cancer precision medicine platform.[11]

Markowetz's research has created artificial intelligence approaches to analyse data from the Cytosponge, a minimally invasive device to detect a precursor of oesophageal cancer. This work automates labour-intensive tasks and refines pathology biomarkers to identify the patients at the highest risk of developing cancer.[12][13][14]

Awards and honours

In 2016, Professor Markowetz was awarded the Future Leaders in Cancer Research Prize by Cancer Research UK. He was commended for his collaborative approach to research and his role as a champion of open science.[15]

Professor Markowetz received the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award in 2017.[16]

References

  1. Brockley, Branwen (2022-06-15). "Institute Group Leaders awarded promotions by the University" (in en-GB). https://www.cruk.cam.ac.uk/2022/06/15/institute-group-leaders-awarded-promotions-by-the-university. 
  2. "Markowetz group" (in en-GB). https://www.cruk.cam.ac.uk/research-groups/markowetz-group. 
  3. Bio, Tailor. "Tailor Bio" (in en-GB). https://tailor.bio/about-us-1. 
  4. "Dr Florian Markowetz - Networks of evidence and expertise for public policy". https://www.csap.cam.ac.uk/network/florian-markowetz/. 
  5. Drews, Ruben M.; Hernando, Barbara; Tarabichi, Maxime; Haase, Kerstin; Lesluyes, Tom; Smith, Philip S.; Morrill Gavarró, Lena; Couturier, Dominique-Laurent et al. (June 2022). "A pan-cancer compendium of chromosomal instability". Nature 606 (7916): 976–983. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-04789-9. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 35705807. Bibcode2022Natur.606..976D. 
  6. Macintyre, Geoff; Goranova, Teodora E.; De Silva, Dilrini; Ennis, Darren; Piskorz, Anna M.; Eldridge, Matthew; Sie, Daoud; Lewsley, Liz-Anne et al. (September 2018). "Copy number signatures and mutational processes in ovarian carcinoma". Nature Genetics 50 (9): 1262–1270. doi:10.1038/s41588-018-0179-8. ISSN 1546-1718. PMID 30104763. 
  7. Vias, Maria; Morrill Gavarró, Lena; Sauer, Carolin M.; Sanders, Deborah A.; Piskorz, Anna M.; Couturier, Dominique-Laurent; Ballereau, Stéphane; Hernando, Bárbara et al. (2023-05-11). "High-grade serous ovarian carcinoma organoids as models of chromosomal instability". eLife 12: e83867. doi:10.7554/eLife.83867. ISSN 2050-084X. PMID 37166279. 
  8. Cheng, Zhao; Mirza, Hasan; Ennis, Darren P.; Smith, Philip; Morrill Gavarró, Lena; Sokota, Chishimba; Giannone, Gaia; Goranova, Theodora et al. (2022-07-01). "The Genomic Landscape of Early-Stage Ovarian High-Grade Serous Carcinoma". Clinical Cancer Research 28 (13): 2911–2922. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-1643. ISSN 1557-3265. PMID 35398881. 
  9. Jiménez-Sánchez, Alejandro; Cybulska, Paulina; Mager, Katherine LaVigne; Koplev, Simon; Cast, Oliver; Couturier, Dominique-Laurent; Memon, Danish; Selenica, Pier et al. (June 2020). "Unraveling tumor-immune heterogeneity in advanced ovarian cancer uncovers immunogenic effect of chemotherapy". Nature Genetics 52 (6): 582–593. doi:10.1038/s41588-020-0630-5. ISSN 1546-1718. PMID 32483290. 
  10. Shaw, Neil (2022-06-19). "Cancer breakthrough as scientists could create therapy for deadliest disease" (in en). https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/cancer-breakthrough-scientists-could-create-24266497. 
  11. "Tumour 'signatures' could provide key to more accurate treatment for deadliest cancers" (in en). 2022-06-15. https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/tumour-signatures-could-provide-key-to-more-accurate-treatment-for-deadliest-cancers. 
  12. Gehrung, Marcel; Crispin-Ortuzar, Mireia; Berman, Adam G.; O'Donovan, Maria; Fitzgerald, Rebecca C.; Markowetz, Florian (May 2021). "Triage-driven diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus for early detection of esophageal adenocarcinoma using deep learning". Nature Medicine 27 (5): 833–841. doi:10.1038/s41591-021-01287-9. ISSN 1546-170X. PMID 33859411. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33859411/. 
  13. Berman, Adam G.; Tan, W. Keith; O'Donovan, Maria; Markowetz, Florian; Fitzgerald, Rebecca C. (August 2022). "Quantification of TFF3 expression from a non-endoscopic device predicts clinically relevant Barrett's oesophagus by machine learning". eBioMedicine 82: 104160. doi:10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.104160. ISSN 2352-3964. PMID 35843173. 
  14. "Cambridge researchers use artificial intelligence to help detect early stage cancer". ITV Anglia. 28 April 2021. https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2021-04-21/researchers-use-ai-to-help-triage-early-stage-cancer. 
  15. "Future Leaders in Cancer Research Prize" (in en). 2015-10-28. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/funding-for-researchers/how-we-deliver-research/our-research-prizes/future-leaders-in-cancer-research-prize. 
  16. "Florian Markowetz, University of Cambridge: "A pan-cancer compendium of chromosomal instability"" (in en-De). https://www.cecad.uni-koeln.de/about/calendar/detail/florian-markowetz-university-of-cambridge-a-pan-cancer-compendium-of-chromosomal-instability/.