Curriculum vitae
Cristina Müller, PhD, is a Research Group Leader at the Center for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences (CRS) at the Paul Scherrer Institute and adjunct Professor at ETH Zurich in Switzerland. She studied Pharmaceutical Sciences and obtained her PhD at ETH Zurich in 2005. Later she moved to the Netherlands and worked as a postdoc fellow at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam. After returning to Switzerland, she received a fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation, which allowed her to build up her own research group at CRS. The development of folate receptor-targeted radioconjugates was the topic of her Habilitation thesis, which earned her a PD at ETH in 2015. Currently, she supervises a well-established research group at PSI and conducts research dedicated to the design and evaluation of small-molecular-weight ligands for radiotheragnostic application. Among her main research interests are the investigation and application of exotic radionuclides for nuclear imaging and targeted radionuclide therapy.
Employment history
2014 – present
Research Group Leader at the Center for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences at Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen-PSI, Switzerland
2008 – 2013
Scientist (including Ambizione fellowship) at the Center for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences at Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen-PSI, Switzerland
2006 – 2007
Postdoc Fellow, Erasmus Medical Center, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2005 – 2006
Junior Research Scientist, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
2002 – 2005
PhD student, at the Center for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences at Paul Scherrer Institute and ETH Zurich, Switzerland
2000 – 2002
Pharmacist at Seetal Apotheke, Seon, Switzerland
Education
2008 – 2014
Habilitation at ETH Zurich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Zurich, Switzerland
2002 – 2005
PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, ETH Zurich and Center for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland
2000
Federal Examination for Pharmacists, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich
1998 – 2000
Equivalent of “Master of Science” in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich and Center for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute
1998
Federal Examination as Pharma Assistant, Deptartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
1995 – 1997
Equivalent of “Bachelor of Science” in Pharmaceutical Sciences; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
1995
Matura – Type A (Ancient Languages)
Approved Research Projects (Last Years)
2023
SNSF Sinergia Grant (PI): “Eliminating Single Prostate Cancer Cells by Tailored Radioligand Therapy”
2022
Personalized Health and Related Technologies (PHRT) iDoc Grant (PI): “Personalized Precision Medicine Using Folate Radiotheragnostics for Selective Targeting of the Tumor-associated Folate Receptor-α”
2022
Swiss Cancer Research Grant (PI): “Investigation of Auger Electron Therapy using Peptide Receptor Antagonists that Localize at the Cellular Membrane”
2020
NRP78 SNSF Grant (PI): “Development of a Radioligand for ACE2 PET Imaging – A Tool to Investigate the Expression and Regulation of the SARS-CoV-2 Entry Receptor”
2019
SNSF Grant (PI): “Investigation of a New Class of Folate-Based RadioImaging Agents and RadioTherapeutics”
2019
Swiss Cancer Research Grant (PI): “Design and Application of a New Class of PSMA Ligands in Combination with Terbium Radioisotopes”
2018
Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (NETRF) Grant U.S.A. (Co-I): “Simultaneous Auger-e– and β–-Particle Therapy of Metastasized NET Using 161Tb-DOTATOC”
2017
Personalized Health and Related Technologies (PHRT) iDoc Grant (PI): “Post‐Surgical Auger Electron Therapy of Prostate Cancer Patients with Localized Disease: Development and Assessment of a New Concept for High‐Risk Patients”
Supervision of junior researchers
Scientists
J. Bolcaen (2024-present); H.Y. Fang (2018-2020)
Postdocs
A.K. Mapanao (2022-present); C. Vaccarin (2022-present); F. Borgna (2018-2021); H.Y. Fang (2018/19); M. Benesova (2016-2018); R. Farkas (2014-2017)
PhD Students
J.V. Schmid (2023-present); A. Mehta (2023-present); B. Hunkeler (2023-present); D. Beyer (2021-present); R.H. Wallimann* (2020-2024); S.D. Busslinger (2020-2023); A.E. Becker (2020-2022); V.J. Tschan* (2018-2022); L.M. Deberle* (2018-2022); P. Guzik* (2016-2021); C. Umbricht* (2015-2019); K. Siwowska* (2014-2017); S. Haller* (2012-2015); J. Reber* (2013-2016)
(* official ETH supervisor: Prof. R. Schibli)
Master Students
C. Berger (2024); J. Jegathasan (2024); P. Nghiem (2024); M. Zehnder (2023); J. Stäuble (2023); R. Mayer (2022); F. Flühmann (2022); D. Beyer (2020/21); L. Walde (2020); P. Barrit (2019); M. Büchler (2018)
Project Students
B. Klein (2024); M. Mahadeva (2024); S. Behera (2023); J. Stäuble (2022); G. Wells Abascal (2022); V. Rihs (2020); P. Schubert (2020)
Teaching Activities
2011 – present
“Vitamine zur Vorsorge und Therapie” at ETH Zurich, Switzerland
2011 – present
Contribution to “Einführung in die Pharmazeutischen Wissenschaften” ETH Zurich, Switzerland
2020 – present
Contribution to “Introduction in Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry”, University Bern, Bern, Switzerland
2008 – present
Contribution to “Postgraduate Course Radiopharmacy/Radiochemistry” ETH Zurich, Switzerland