Prof. Dr. Johannes Betge

Prof. Johannes Betge is a is a physician-scientist, head of the Junior Clinical Cooperation Unit Translational Gastrointestinal Oncology and Preclinical Models at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and attending physician in gastroenterology at University Medical Center Mannheim.

Prof. Betge earned his doctoral degree at Heidelberg University and completed clinical training in internal medicine at Mannheim University Medical Center. His overarching research goal is to improve treatment outcomes for patients with gastrointestinal cancers by analyzing tumor biology, mechanisms of therapy resistance and developing new therapeutic strategies. His laboratory integrates patient-derived organoid models, high-throughput drug screening, single-cell and multi-omics technologies, as well as co-culture systems to dissect tumor heterogeneity and microenvironmental (including microbial) influences. An important focus lies on translating preclinical findings into clinical applications and technology transfer. Prof. Betge’s current lab hosts a multidisciplinary team of postdocs, PhD candidates, MD students, and technical staff, working across Heidelberg and Mannheim to drive forward precision oncology pipelines.

He maintains active clinical duties and teaching at UMM, contributing to training medical and graduate students. His dual focus on patient care and bench-to-bedside research exemplifies his commitment to improving outcomes for patients with GI cancers.