The University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) has appointed Prof. Dr. Anna Lena Illert as the new University Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology with effect from 1 October 2025. At the same time, she will take over as Director of the Clinic for Hematology and Medical Oncology.

Illert succeeds Prof. Dr. Lorenz Trümper, who was head of the clinic from 2000 to 2021 and has been the UMG’s Board Member for Patient Care since May 1, 2021. Since then, Prof. Dr. Gerald Wulf has been the acting head of the department.

As an experienced oncologist with a focus on clinical and research, Illert focuses on the further development of translational oncology. It aims to rapidly integrate findings from basic research into patient care, in particular through personalized and targeted therapies. A central concern is the activation of the body’s own immune defense against cancer cells. In her research, she deciphers biological processes of tumorigenesis in order to develop tailor-made treatment strategies that exploit the weak points of the tumors. In doing so, it prioritizes the benefits for patients and relatives, with a focus on safety, quality of life and participation. She also wants to promote young scientists in translational oncology. The UMG offers ideal conditions for this through interdisciplinary structures, collaborative research centres, the Comprehensive Cancer Center Lower Saxony (CCCN) and the close link between clinic and research.

Scientific Focus

Illert’s work focuses on personalized molecular medicine in malignant tumors such as lymphoma, leukemia, and solid cancers. She designs therapies that are tailored to the individual tumor characteristics. At the core of her investigations are molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis, especially tyrosine kinases, which regulate cell growth and lead to uncontrolled division in the event of dysfunction. These enzymes also influence the interaction between cancer cells and the immune system, which can protect tumors from defense. The elucidation of such protective mechanisms enables new therapeutic approaches.

In 2021, Illert received the Mildred Scheel Professorship of the German Cancer Aid for “Immunomodulatory Oncogenic Signal Transduction”. This nationwide award for outstanding young scientists in translational cancer research is awarded only once a year.

Another commitment is the implementation of scientific results in practice. Illert drove the establishment of centers for personalized medicine (CPM) in Germany and heads the nationwide working group “Molecular Tumor Boards” in the German Network for Personalized Medicine. In these committees, more than 5,000 patients with advanced cancer for whom standard therapies are lacking receive individual advice every year.

Teaching and mentoring

Illert has been active in teaching since 2007 and relies on innovative methods such as interactive case discussions with molecular data and integration into molecular tumor boards. In these expert conferences, tumor data is analyzed and therapies are developed.

She attaches particular importance to mentoring concepts for medical students, assistant doctors and women in science. As a mentor, she facilitates exchange with various contact persons as needed in order to promote orientation, career planning and professional strengths – especially in complex oncology.

About the person

Anna Lena Illert, born in Munich in 1977, is married and the mother of two sons. She studied human medicine at the University of Göttingen from 1996 to 2004 and received her doctorate there in 2004 on the topic of autophagosome and lysosome biogenesis in LAMP-2-deficient hepatocytes at the Center for Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology under Prof. Dr. Kurt von Figura.

As a postdoctoral researcher, she spent three years researching cell cycle regulation at the Technical University of Munich in the group of Prof. Dr. Justus Duyster. From 2007 to 2011, she completed her specialist training in internal medicine at the TUM Hospital with Prof. Dr. Christian Peschel and has since been an investigator for clinical trials with supervision of over 80 projects.

In 2012, she moved with Duyster to the University Medical Center Freiburg, where she founded the research group “Signal Transduction of Oncogenic Tyrosine Kinases”. In 2016, she habilitated at the Technical University of Munich and became a senior physician and senior personnel physician in Freiburg. In 2018, she took on the role of Managing Senior Physician, Spokesperson of the Molecular Tumor Board, Co-Director and Board Member of the Comprehensive Cancer Center Freiburg. In 2019 she headed the oncology outpatient clinic, in 2020 she became an adjunct professor and in 2022 she acquired the additional qualification in palliative medicine. In 2023, she accepted the Mildred Scheel Professorship and the Chair of Personalized Oncology at the Technical University of Munich.

With the appointment to Göttingen, Illert has come full circle to her place of study.

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Gender note. The personal designations used in this text always refer equally to female, male and diverse persons. Double/triple references and gendered designations are avoided in favor of better readability.