Dr. Eszlinger joined the Department of Oncology in the Cumming School of Medicine as a Research Manager in 2016. Since May 2017 he holds an appointment as a Research Associate Professor. He is cross-appointed to the Departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. His research laboratory is located in the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute.
Dr. Eszlinger spent 6 years as a Principal Investigator in the molecular laboratory of the Division of Endocrinology at the University of Leipzig, Germany, working on the “MicroRNA signature of thyroid tumors and its possible diagnostic application for the differential diagnosis of follicular thyroid cancer and follicular adenomas“ (funded by the German Research Council), “Molecular diagnosis of indeterminate routine thyroid nodule FNA cytology results“ (funded by the German Cancer Research Foundation), and “Molecular diagnosis of indeterminate thyroid nodule ThinPrep cytology results“ (funded by the Wilhelm Sander Foundation).
Dr. Eszlinger’s major research interests include the molecular etiology of cold thyroid nodules and the identification and application of molecular markers that help to differentiate benign and malignant thyroid tumors. In a translational approach he aims on improving the pre-surgical diagnosis of cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules by analyzing a panel of point mutations, gene fusions and microRNA markers using targeted next generation sequencing and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Moreover, he is interested to apply his expertise also to other tumor entities, and to guide cancer therapy with targeted drugs.
He graduated in Biochemistry from the University of Leipzig. Prior to completing a PhD also from the University of Leipzig he worked in the medical diagnostics industry in Berlin.
He is the author of more than 70 original publications.
With Dr. Ralf Paschke he is directing a research laboratory in the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute (ACCI). Together with Drs. Khalil, Ghaznavi, Symonds, and Paschke Dr. Eszlinger is aiming for a major change of clinical practice by solving the inherent limitations of thyroid fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC).
With Dr. Carolina Ferraz (Sao Paulo, Brazil) he is currently working on a project analyzing a miRNA panel in material obtained from fine needle aspiration biopsies of thyroid nodules and peripheral blood and its application as a diagnostic molecular test.