Center for Clinical and Translational Science

Dr. Florian Klein joined the Clinical Scholars Program at Rockefeller University in 2011 and was selected as Chief Clinical Scholar in 2012. Dr. Klein received his MD from the University of Cologne in Germany, and joined Dr. Michel Nussenzweig’s Laboratory of Molecular Immunology in 2009 as a post-doctoral fellow after completing his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Cologne.

Dr. Klein is currently investigating the antibody response to HIV-1 infection. Over the last years the Nussenzweig laboratory has been able to isolate and characterize antibodies that are highly potent in effectively neutralizing HIV-1. Based on those findings, Dr. Klein and his colleagues have recently demonstrated that a combination of these neutralizing antibodies are able to successfully treat HIV-1 infection in humanized mice. These promising results further encouraged the researchers to evaluate these antibodies in HIV-1 infected patients and human clinical trails are already planned.
 
Dr. Klein’s interest in science and research extends to his pre-medical school years, but his first basic research experiences occurred in 2001 in the laboratory of Dr. Markus Müschen during medical school. In Dr. Müschen’s lab, he focused on normal B cell development and on the transformation of B cells into leukemic B cells. This experience stimulated his interest in B lymphocytes and antibodies, which led him to Dr. Nussenzweig’s research and ultimately to joining his lab.

When asked about his experience in the Clinical Scholars Program, Dr. Klein said, “It is an outstanding program tailored to physicians and scientists that have strong interest in patient care and clinical or basic research. The program provides you with the knowledge and tools to pursue patient-orientated research, and it certainly exceeded my expectations. In my opinion, the key element of the program is the excellent weekly tutorial in which we discuss with Dr. Coller or Dr. Schlesinger different aspects related to translational research. Here, interesting perspectives develop and the discussions are always insightful. Finally, the Clinical Scholar Program allows you to work with exceptional people at the Rockefeller University and the Rockefeller Hospital. You benefit from their great experiences and expertise, which in turn, helps you to find your way in becoming a successful and responsible physician scientist.“