Report: 5th German Pancreatic Cancer Research Meeting, November 17-19, 2025
by Santhiya Rajan, Nehir Ekin, and Florian Döbbe
The 5th German Pancreatic Cancer Research Meeting took place this week (17th -19th November) at the Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Leopoldina (German National Academy of Sciences) in Halle (Saale), a prestigious institution founded in 1652. The event brought together researchers from across various consortia to discuss recent advances in pancreatic cancer research. Members of the CRU 5002 contributed actively, with around 30 of its members attending the conference.
The programme commenced on Monday, November 17, with the Young Scientist Meeting, which opened with an ice-breaker activity aimed at facilitating interaction among early-career researchers. This session was organized by the CRU 5002 student representatives, Nehir Ekin Sahin and Santhiya Rajan together with Florian Döbbe and Jiska Ziegler. The subsequent panel discussion provided a structured forum for junior researchers to exchange perspectives on scientific career paths, academic publishing, challenges in academia, and insights from both academic and industry experts. The session was well attended, very interactive and generated active discussion.
The CRU 5002 contributed four scientific presentations, delivered by Maj-Britt Paulsohn, Joana Oschwald, Elisabeth Hessmann, and Adi Mackay. These talks stimulated substantial interest and discussion among conference participants and guest speakers. Particularly, Joana Oschwald’s presentation was attended by the Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, marking a memorable moment in the meeting.
There were ten posters from various SPs, showcasing ongoing projects and new findings within the consortium. Several CRU 5002 members and principal investigators also chaired the seminar sessions and keynote lectures, reflecting the strong engagement of the group in the overall programme.
We thank all KFO members for their contributions and look forward to the future events. Until then, this is the TEAM CRU 5002 signing off.