Head of Translation Group “T-Cell Fitness” Roland Schelker is now Associate Professor: Interview in Immunopaedia traces his path to the LIT

Immunopaedia has featured Roland Schelker, Head of the Translation Group “T-Cell Fitness” at the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (LIT), as one of its “Immunologists of the Month 2025”. In the interview, Schelker reflects on his clinical roots in haematology and oncology, his transition to T-cell engineering at the National Cancer Institute, and current work on transcriptional programs that maintain CD8 T-cell stemness and anti-tumor function. He also shares practical advice for early-career researchers and outlines how the group bridges discovery and clinical translation at the LIT.

In Schelker’s opinion every young scientist who is considering a career in immunotherapy is stepping into one of the most transformative fields in biomedical science and should stay persistent as well as creative: “There’s a unique satisfaction in discovering something no one else has seen before, a moment when you briefly outpace the world in understanding a piece of nature. That’s the magic of science.”

Please read the whole interview here.

Associate Professor Roland Schelker, Head of the Translation Group “T-Cell Fitness” at the LIT