The team

Interdisciplinary expertise for each individual patient

The IOZK employs around 60 people. The medical and scientific experts, together with the laboratory staff and nursing team, care for patients from all over the world. Together, they work day after day on the application and further development of immunotherapy with the aim of prolonging the lives of cancer patients and maintaining their quality of life despite their illness.

The team of experts

Managing Director Dr. Wilfried Stücker initiated what is now the Cologne Immun-Oncology Center in 1985. In collaboration with various physicians and scientists, he developed IOZK immunotherapy and established the treatment center with its laboratories.

Stefaan Van Gool, MD, PhD, is a specialist in pediatric hematology-oncology with a focus on brain tumors and is the medical director of translational oncology at the IOZK. At the University Hospital Leuven and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, he spent many years conducting scientific research into the use of vaccines in cancer treatment and has published numerous studies. At the IOZK, he heads the team of physicians and is responsible for planning and implementing IOZK immunotherapy.

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Volker Schirrmacher is the scientific director. He conducted research at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg for over 30 years, where he headed the Department of Cellular Immunology. He is an internationally recognized pioneer in cancer immunotherapy with a focus on oncolytic viruses. Together with the scientists and physicians at the IOZK, he is working on the systematic integration of new scientific findings for the further development of IOZK immunotherapy.

Dr. Wilfried Stücker

Management and leadership of the IOZK working group

Specialist area:
Translational oncology
Tumor immunology
Pharmaceutical biology

Portrait: Dr. Wilfried Stücker

Prof. Dr. Volker Schirrmacher, PhD

Scientific Director

Specialist area:
Tumor immunology
Oncolytic virotherapy

Portrait: Prof. Dr. Volker Schirrmacher

Stefaan Van Gool, MD, PhD.

Medical Director of Translational Oncology Qualified Person (GMP) Responsible Medical Officer

Specialist area:
Tumor immunology

Portrait: Stefaan Van Gool, MD, PhD.

Secretariat Dr. Wilfried Stücker

We will be happy to assist you or provide you with information directly over the phone.
Please direct your questions to Mr. Ronny Sporbert.
T: +49 (0)221 420 399 130

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The treatment center

doctors

Montassar Cherif, MD

Physician, patient care

Specialist area/focus:
Immuno-oncology

Timo Huber, MD

Physician, patient care

Specialist area/focus:
Immuno-oncology, hyperthermia

Sarra Ksouri

Physician, Patient Care

Specialist area/focus:
Immuno-oncology

Tobias Sprenger, MD

Specialist in general medicine, expert witness.

Qualification certified by the German Medical Association in accordance with the "Medical Assessment" curriculum

nursing team

administration

Funda Kurnaz

Administrative management

health economist

Mahmoud Wahidi

Operations Manager

The laboratory team

The IOZK has a diagnostic laboratory for research and special immunological diagnostics, as well as a molecular genetics laboratory for analyzing tumor components circulating in the blood. In addition, it has its own state-of-the-art manufacturing laboratory (GMP) for producing the patient-specific vaccine IO-VAC®.

The qualified and specialized team works in accordance with the provisions of the German Medicines Act and the European GMP guidelines (Good Manufacturing Practice).