Dr. Rajkumar Savai from the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Reseach (MPI) in Bad Nauheim (DZL site UGMLC) has recently received the Early Career Achievement Award from the American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference in Washington D.C. for the field of thoracic oncology. This award from the Assembly on Thoracic Oncology is given to an individual who has made most outstanding scientific contributions in clinical, translational, or laboratory‐based research early in his or her career.
Dr. Savai received this award for his research accomplishments and the development of new therapeutic approaches in today's still incurable lung cancer. For example, he has established novel animal models and imaging techniques and addresses the role of microenvironmental components involved in lung tumorigenesis. His research work suggests that understanding the lung tumor microenvironment and the complex bidirectional interplay between the tumor and its parenchymal niche is essential for designing effective therapies in lung cancer.
Dr. Rajkumar Savai was born and brought up in a village called Chowllapally near Warangal, in the state of Telangana, Southern India. After receiving his Masters (MSc) in Biochemistry from Kakatiya University, Warangal, India he moved to Germany to work with Prof. Werner Seeger and Prof. Friedrich Grimminger (DZL Speaker and DZL Scientist) at the Pneumology/Oncology Department at the Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU). In 2010, he moved to the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim. Dr. Savai leads the Molecular Mechanisms of Lung Cancer Research Group in the Department of Lung Development and Remodeling at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim Germany. He is jointly appointed at the Department of Internal Medicine (Pneumology/Oncology) at the JLU. He is also faculty and project leader and member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL) and the Collaborative Research Center on Cardiopulmonary Systems (ECCPS).
The roots of the American Thoracic Society reach back to 1905, when a small group of physicians decided that the best way to improve care for tuberculosis patients was to share their experiences and discoveries. Today, the ATS has grown into an international society with more than 15,000 members. The ATS is one of the world's leading medical association dedicated to advancing our clinical and scientific understanding of pulmonary diseases, critical illnesses and sleep-related breathing disorders. (Source: ATS)
