Benedikt Westphalen

Academic history

Benedikt Westphalen, MD, is currently the head of the Molecular Diagnostics and Therapy program and the Molecular Tumour Board of the Comprehensive Cancer Centre at the University of Munch, Germany. At the same institute, he is the clinical leader of the Center for Personalized Medicine. He has received recognition for his work through young investigator awards from both AACR and GRG/AGA. After joining ESMO in 2017, Dr Westphalen was appointed as Chair of the Translational Research and Precision Medicine Working Group in 2024.

Dr Westphalen attended the University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany, to receive his medical degree, before joining a Graduate Study Program specializing in Molecular Biology at the Center for Molecular Neurobiology, Hamburg, Germany. He is also part of one out of six Mission Teams dedicated to integrating the Future Research and Innovation strategy, collaborating with experts across various disciplines to improve healthcare outcomes.

Speaking on biomarkers in gastrointestinal cancer

Dr Westphalen has established himself as a leading figure in the field of pancreatic cancer and gastrointestinal malignancies research since 2010, contributing significantly to the understanding of these complex diseases. His work spans across the University of Hamburg and University of Munich in Germany, where he has conducted numerous studies focusing on molecular profiling. This is exemplified by his work in biliary tract cancer where patients underwent comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) to identify actionable genetic mutations and biomarkers. In addition, his involvement in the AIO-PK0104 study highlighted the use of biomarker testing, specifically examining bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a negative predictor for gemcitabine efficacy in advanced pancreatic cancer. He has been awarded research funding from the German Research Foundation and has contributed to the publication of over fifty research papers, both as an author and co-author.