Katja Weisel, MD

Katja Weisel, MD, is associate professor Deputy Head the Department of Oncology, Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation with Section of Pneumology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg Germany as well as Co-Director of the German Cancer Aid designated University Cancer Center Hamburg (UCCH). Prof Weisel received her medical degree from the Medical School of the University of Ulm, Germany, and did her clinical residency in internal medicine at the University of Tuebingen, Germany. In 2001 and 2002, she did a postdoctoral research fellowship in the laboratory of Developmental Hematopoiesis at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY, USA, founded by a research grant of the German Cancer Aid. She completed her medical fellowship in internal medicine and hematology, oncology at the University of Tuebingen. Since 2006, Prof Weisel has built up and leading the Tuebingen myeloma program. In April 2019 she moved to the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, where she is leading the myeloma program. Her myeloma research interests focus on treatment optimisation for high-risk myeloma, renally impaired myeloma patients and refractory myeloma patients. She is a member of the German Speaking Myeloma Multicentre Group (GMMG) steering committee. Prof Weisel is co-investigator in all GMMG trials. She is the lead investigator of four investigator-initiated academic trials including the GMMG-CONCEPT trial for treatment of newly diagnosed high-risk Multiple Myeloma. Results of the trial, introducing the quadruplet Isa-KRd for treatment of high-risk myeloma were implemented in several guidelines including the NCCN guidelines. Under her leadership as the respective PI, the first German myeloma patient was treated with anti BCMA CAR-T cells in the pivotal trial. Prof Weisel serves as principal investigator in several national and international phase I-III trials and is member or chairman in several DSMB or steering committees. She is a mentor of several young myeloma investigators now leading successfully initiated clinical trials. Prof Weisel has contributed to more than 250 publications on multiple myeloma treatment and biology. She is associate editor of eJHaem and member of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), the European Haematology Association (EHA) as well as steering board member of the German Society for Hematology and Medical Oncology (DGHO). Prof Weisel received the research award of the German Fritz-Acker-Foundation and the Hamburg Cancer Society. She is member of the IMS and IMWG and involved in the membership committee of IMS and in the immunotherapy as well as PRO working group of IMWG. Prof Weisel is strongly dedicated in bringing innovative treatment concepts especially for difficult-to-treat patient groups in respective clinical trials to all patients at need.