After completing an early-studies program in Mathematics, Tran commenced his work toward a degree in Human Medicine at Kiel University (CAU) in Kiel and at University College London – as recipient of a scholarship awarded by the German Academic Scholarship Foundation. As of 2017 he subsequently worked as an intern in the Dept. of Internal Medicine I at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel Campus. After earning his PhD in 2019, for which he received the Ismar Boas Medal, he took up a position as Clinician Scientist in the Cluster of Excellence project entitled Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation funded by DFG, the German Research Foundation.
“The funding grant due to the Else Kröner Memorial Fellowship that followed in 2022 enables me to have distinctly more time reserved solely for research,” the scientist explains. The project being funded deals with the identification of biomarkers indicating the response to therapy in the case of ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Tran focuses on immunosignals in intestinal tissue in order to better understand the interactions of the different types of cells in the intestines. “To do this I use so-called spatial transcriptomics technologies to visualize gene expression programs of individual cells spatially resolved within tissue along with the cell-cell-neighborhood relations. In the process I pursue the hypothesis that specific, previously undetected cell interactions can serve as biomarkers for the response to particular therapies,” the physician goes on to clarify.
In addition, Tran was active as spokesman for the Clinician Scientist Academy at the Kiel University’s Faculty of Medicine and as Chairman of the German Work Group for Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (DACED) in 2023. Appointment to a German W1 professorship (Junior Professor) for “Pathophysiology of chronic inflammations” at the CAU in Kiel took place in June 2024.
In the course of his clinical work Tran observes time and again how strongly people – above all younger people – are affected by chronic inflammatory diseases such as ulcerative colitis. Through his research he wants to contribute toward improving the possibilities for treatment and finding the individually optimal therapy for each and every patient. He banks on closely patient-centered approaches and develops new methods in order to make precise diagnoses and to gauge the effectiveness of therapies better. As Tran puts it: “What especially motivates me is the possibility to repeatedly become familiar with new technologies and develop them. Our research projects open up new paths in medical diagnostics and therapy, and contribute to technological advancement.”
In his leisure time he enjoys cooking and spends lots of time with friends and family. Walks by the waterside along the Kiellinie promenade are just as much a part of this.
Our sincere thanks for your time, Prof. Dr. Tran!