ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD

Sponsored by the Erwin + Irmgard-Egner Foundation

In the year 2026 the ADF is able to announce 3 awards for junior scientists working in the field of Dermato Oncology. These awards are sponsored by the Erwin & Irmgard Egner foundation (two Junior Scientist Awards). 
All studies submitted in time to the ADF annual meeting (poster / oral presentation) with a focus in the field of oncology will be considered. The award will be given to the first author or a working group that conducted the research. The allocation of the award is independent of the ADF membership of the authors. 

The award is endowed with 2.500 €.

The award ceremony will be held during the Annual ADF meeting. The awardee will be chosen by an independent board of trustees that is elected by the ADF board every five years.

The awardee is asked to publish a short report at the ADF home journal Experimental Dermatology.

Board of trustees:

  • Prof. Dr. med. Carsten Weishaupt (Chair)
  • Prof. Dr. med. Christoffer Gebhardt
  • Dr. med. Miriam Mengoni
  • Prof. Dr. med. Tobias Bald
  • Prof. Dr. med. Alexander Rösch

Past awardees of the ADF Dermato Oncology Junior Scientist Award

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2026
Presentation of the Young Investigator Awards in Dermato-Oncology to Luisa Tengler and ADF Board

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2026

P188:
„Cytokeratins as tumor associated antigens in oropharyngeal and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma“
Beatrice Balciunaite, Tübingen

P192:
„Oncogenic HRAS-driven immune escape in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma“
Debora Radicchi, Freiburg

P56:
„Linking CTCL cell biology with response to mogamulizumab for therapy optimization and identification of resistance mechanisms“
Luisa Tengler, Mannheim

Presentation of the Young Investigator Awards in Dermato-Oncology to Antonia Stubenvoll (centre) and Antonia Kolb (in absentia); left: L. Erpenbeck (ADF Board), right: Patrizia Stoitzner (DOP Awards Committee)

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2025

P225:
„Constitutive expression of IκBζ promotes tumor growth and immunotherapy resistance in melanoma“

Antonia Kolb, Mainz

P262:
„An investigation of melanoma immunity using single-cell multiomics: Novel cell-cell communication partners and their antitumoral role“

Antonia Stubenvoll, Leipzig

Presentation of the Young Investigator Awards in Dermato-Oncology to Simona Saluzzo (Vienna), represented by Georg Stary, 4th from left; Saskia Vadder (Bonn), 5th from left; Luise Bopp (Cologne), 4th from right; Mette Purde (St. Gallen), 3rd from right; and Luiza Martins Nascentes Melo (Essen), 2nd from right, together with Patrizia Stoitzner (Chair of the Awards Committee), right; Luise Erpenbeck (ADF Board), 3rd from left; Ulrich Grundmann, right; and Niels Grundmann, 2nd from right (representatives of the Irmgard and Erwin Egner Foundation).

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2024

P168:
„A subsets of skin resident CD8+ T cells protects organ transplant receivers from skin cancer development“

Simona Saluzzo, Vienna

P190:
„The Influence of Nras and Trp53 Point Mutations on Melanoma Plasticity and the Tumor Microenvironment“

Saskia Vadder, Bonn

P204:
„Propagating viral vector-based vaccine platform as potent therapeutic strategy for solid tumor elimination“

Mette Purde, St. Gallen

P209:
„Selenoprotein O regulates melanoma metastasis through mitochondrial complex II activity“

Luiza Martins Nascentes Melo, Essen

P214:
„Metabolite-driven regulation of T cells in human keratinocyte-derived skin cancer“

Luisa Bopp, Cologne

Presentation of the Young Investigator Awards in Dermato-Oncology to Sheena Daignault-Mill (Woolloongabba), represented by Nikolas Haass, 2nd from right; Anthony Buzzai (Magdeburg), 2nd from left; and Florian Hornsteiner (Innsbruck), centre, together with Mario Fabri (ADF Board), left, and Manfred Kunz (Chair of the Awards Committee), right.

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2023

P211:
„Overcoming Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Resistance to Improve Melanoma Therapy“

Sheena. Daignault-Mill, Woolloongabba

P200:
„The role of dendritic cells in tumor-targeted therapy mediated anti-tumor immunity“

Florian Hornsteiner, Innsbruck

P108:
„Tumour-specific CD4+ T cells recruit inflammatory monocytes that acquire IFN-activated functions to control immune evasive tumours“

Anthony Buzzai, Magdeburg

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2022

P209:
„nAngiopoietin-like 4 inhibits metastasis formation“

Corinne Huebers, Mannheim

P199:
„Inhibition of the mTOR inhibitory protein sirtuin 1 leads to faster tumor growth under PD1-based immune checkpoint blockade“

Jan-Malte Placke, Essen

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2021

P191:
„Heparan sulfate dependent binding of melanoma cells to plasmatic von Willebrand factor attenuates melanoma metastasis“

Yuanyuan Wang, Hamburg

P102:
„Profiling of tumor-infiltrating T cells for guidance of melanoma salvage therapy in immune-checkpoint-blockade resistant patients“

Fang Zhao, Essen

P213:
„Melanoma derived extracellular vesicles deliver miRNAs as molecular switches in macrophage activation“

Dennis Gerloff

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2020

No Award

Presentation of the Young Investigator Awards in Dermato-Oncology to Corinna Kosnopfel (2nd from left) and Alexander Thiem (2nd from right); left: R. Eming (ADF Board), right: Manfred Kunz (DOP Awards Committee).

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2019

P186:
„p53 is involved in basal and IFN-gamma induced PD-L1 expression in melanoma“

Alexander Thiem, Würzburg

P198:
„Inhibition of RSK family members can effectively target malignant melanoma cells with MAPK pathway hyperactivation“

Corinna Kosnopfel, Tübingen

Presentation of the 2018 ADF Young Investigator Award in Dermato-Oncology: from left, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Karin Loser (Awards Officer on the ADF Board), Agnes Forsthuber (award recipient), PD Dr. med. Evelyn Gaffal (Group Leader), accepting the award on behalf of recipient Naveen Shridhar, Bianca Simon (award recipient), and Prof. Dr. med. Manfred Kunz (Chair of the DOP Awards Committee).
Presentation of the 2018 ADF Young Investigator Award in Dermato-Oncology: from left, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Karin Loser (Awards Officer on the ADF Board), Agnes Forsthuber (award recipient), PD Dr. med. Evelyn Gaffal (Group Leader), accepting the award on behalf of recipient Naveen Shridhar, Bianca Simon (award recipient), and Prof. Dr. med. Manfred Kunz (Chair of the DOP Awards Committee).

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2018

„A dual role of neutrophils in cutaneous melanoma“

Agnes Forsthuber, Wien

„The simultaneous siRNA-mediated downregulation of PD-1 and CTLA-4 to improve CAR-T cell immunotherapy of melanoma“

Bianca Simon, Erlangen

„Effect of selective Gq/11-inhibition on malignant melanoma“

Naveen Shridhar, Bonn

Presentation of the Young Investigator Award in Dermato-Oncology to Oana-Diana Persa.

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2017

„Ultraviolet (UV)-A irradiation induces melanoma invasion via enhanced Warburg effect“

York Kamenisch/Tarza Baban, Regensburg

„Dual role of aPKC/ in skin carcinogenesis“

Oana-Diana Persa, Cologne

„Damage-associated molecular pattern molecules as novel predictive markers in melanoma treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors“

Mirko Gries, Heidelberg

Presentation of the Young Investigator Award in Dermato-Oncology to Ellen Brenner (Tuebingen) and Stefanie Riesenberg (Bonn)

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2016

„Stat1-induced cancer cell senescence protects from metastases“

Ellen Brenner, Tübingen

„MITF and c-Jun antagonism interconnects melanoma dedifferentiation with pro-inflammatory cytokine responsiveness and myeloid cell recruitment“

Stefanie Riesenberg, Bonn

„Phospho-proteomic analysis reveals increased CK2alpha kinase activity in NRAS(Q61) mutant melanoma“

Christian Posch, Wien

Presentation of the Dermato-Oncology Young Investigator Awards to Katharina Amschler (2nd from right), Heike Niessner (2nd from left), Bastian Schilling (left) and Klaus Griewank (in absentia); right: Thomas Tüting

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2015

„Melanoma cells adapt flexibly to variation of N- and E-cadherin-density on the nanoscale“

Katharina Amschler, Göttingen

„The BRAF inhibitor LGX818 (encorafenib) induces endoplasmic reticulum stress and sensitizes NRAS-mutant melanoma cells to the MEK inhibitor binimetinib“

Heike Niessner, Tuebingen

„Dual immune checkpoint blockage delays GNAQ-driven tumor growth in an autologous murine uveal melanoma model“

Bastian Schilling I Klaus Griewank, Essen

Presentation of the Dermato-Oncology Award 2014 From left: Thomas Tüting, Andrea Tüttenberg, Tobias Sinnberg, Knut Schäkel

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2014

„Molecules associated with T regulatory cell function are highly expressed on melanoma: Novel targets for immunotherapeutic strategies“

„Nanoparticular targeting of tolerance inducing macrophages, DC and myeloid suppressor cells – new strategies for therapeutic approaches in immune-mediated diseases“ 

Andrea Tuettenberg, Mainz

„Hypoxia confers resistance towards ascorbate-induced ROS-driven cytotoxicity in melanoma cell lines“

„Canonical Wnt signalling enhances neural crest migration in zebrafish and epithelial mesenchymal transition associated melanoma cell invasion“

„Beta-catenin in the course of aquired resistance to the BRAFV600E inhibitor vemurafenib in malignant melanoma“

Tobias Sinnberg, Tuebingen

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2013

„Contrasting, cell type-specific role of ASC in epithelial skin cancer“

Amir Yazdi, Tuebingen

„Neuropilin-1 deficiency on CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells impaires tumor growth in melanoma“

Iris Helfrich, Essen

Presentation of the Dermato-Oncology Young Investigator Awards to Johanna Kaufmann (right) and Maria Feoktistova (center), with ADF Board Member Prof. Dr. Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2012

„Specific killing of melanoma cells by infection with an oncolytic measles virus directed to the surface antigen HMWMAA“

Johanna Kaufmann, Heidelberg

„The Ripoptosome – a novel molecular complex differentially regulated by cFLIP isoforms and a critical switch between apoptotic and necroptotic cell death in skin tumor cells“ 

Maria Feoktistova I Peter Geserick, Mannheim

Presentation of the Dermato-Oncology Young Investigator Award to Jenny Landsberg (Bonn) and Christian Busch (Tübingen)

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2011

„Molekulare Mechanismen beim malignen Melanom“

Carola Berking, Munich

„T cell mediated immune surveillance promotes melanoma cell dedifferentiation in the genetically engineered Hgf-Cdk4R24C mouse model“ 

Jenny Landsberg, Bonn

„Bone morphogenetic protein and nodal regulate adhesion and migration in melanoma cells and confer a malignant phenotype to melanocytes in vitro and in vivo“ 

Christian Busch, Tuebingen

Presentation of the Dermato-Oncology Main Award to Birgit Schittek (Tuebingen)
Presentation of the Dermato-Oncology Young Investigator Award to Silke Kuphal (Regensburg) and Sebastian Haferkamp (Wuerzburg)

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2010

„Molekulare Mechanismen beim malignen Melanom“

AG Birgit Schittek, Tuebingen

„Oncogene-induced senescence of primary human melanocyte“ 

Sebastian Haferkamp, Wuerzburg

„Persistent NFkappaB activation in malignant melanoma is generated through loss of the tumor suppressor CYLD“ 

Silke Kuphal, Regensburg

Presentation of the Dermato-Oncology Award to Jürgen Eberle (Berlin)

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2009

AG Juergen Eberle, Berlin

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2008

Petra Boukamp, Heidelberg

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2007

Selma Ugurel-Becker, Wuerzburg

ADF DERMATO ONCOLOGY JUNIOR SCIENTIST AWARD 2006

Erwin S. Schultz, Marburg