Raphael Morscher

Raphael Johannes Morscher
Raphael Morscher in 2026
Raphael Morscher in 2026
Born1987 (age 38–39)
Bludenz, Austria
CitizenshipAustrian
Alma mater
Known forCancer metabolism research, in vivo stable isotope tracing
Awards
Scientific career
Fields
  • Pediatric oncology
  • Cancer metabolism
  • Precision medicine
Workplaces
Barbara Kofler
Other academic advisors
Matthias Baumgartner
Joshua Rabinowitz
Jean-Pierre Bourquin
Websitewww.morscherlab.org

Raphael Johannes Morscher (born 1987) is an Austrian pediatric oncologist and physician-scientist specializing in cancer metabolism and precision medicine. He holds the Prof. Dr. Max Cloëtta research position in pediatric cancer metabolism at the University of Zurich and serves as an attending physician at the University Children's Hospital Zurich. Morscher's research focuses on the metabolic regulation of protein translation and cell identity in childhood cancers, utilizing multi-omic integration and metabolic flux analysis via in vivo stable isotope tracing.

Early life and education

Morscher studied human medicine at the Paracelsus Medical University (PMU) in Salzburg from 2007 to 2012. During his medical studies, he completed clinical rotations at Boston Children's Hospital, Charité Berlin, and the University Children's Hospital Zurich.

His MD thesis investigated 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase deficiency, a rare inborn error of metabolism, and supervised by Matthias Baumgartner at the University of Zurich. He graduated magna cum laude with a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from the PMU in 2012.[1][2]

Morscher subsequently completed his doctoral research in molecular medicine at PMU Salzburg under the supervision of Barbara Kofler. His work focused on metabolic vulnerabilities in neuroblastoma, specifically the impact of ketogenic diets and calorie restriction on tumor progression.[3][4] This training was complemented by an eight-month research stay at Princeton University as a visiting student-research collaborator. In 2017, he received his PhD with the Promotio sub auspiciis Praesidentis rei publicae, an Austrian state honor awarded for outstanding academic achievement across secondary and tertiary education.[5]

Career and research

Between 2013 and 2016, Morscher held residency and fellowship positions in human genetics at the University Clinic Salzburg and the Medical University of Innsbruck. From 2016 to 2017, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Joshua Rabinowitz at the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton University. During this period, he studied the metabolic regulation of translation in mitochondria and contributed to the development of in vivo stable isotope tracing to quantify metabolic fluxes in living organisms.[6]

In 2018, Morscher joined the University Children's Hospital Zurich , obtaining board certification in pediatrics in 2021. Following pediatric oncology fellowships at the Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus in France and Kispi, he was appointed as a Group Leader at the University of Zurich in 2022, where he established the Pediatric Cancer Metabolism Laboratory.[7][8] Since 2024, he has served as an attending physician in pediatric oncology, focusing on solid tumors such as neuroblastoma.[8]

A primary objective of his laboratory is the development of metabolic depletion strategies to treat pediatric malignancies by identifying targetable vulnerabilities in cancer metabolic pathways.[9]

Neuroblastoma and polyamine metabolism

Morscher's team has investigated how pharmacological inhibition of polyamine biosynthesis using eflornithine can be enhanced by the dietary restriction of amino acid substrates (arginine and proline). In preclinical models, this combination altered protein translation in neuroblastoma tumors, triggering a pro-differentiation proteome that caused the cancer cells to differentiate into mature neurons, leading to tumor regression.[10] This research, which provided evidence that skewed codon distributions may evolve in response to metabolic states, was featured as a cover article in Nature.[11] The findings were subsequently highlighted in opinion pieces in Nature,[12] the New England Journal of Medicine,[13] and Cancer Discovery.[14]

Mitochondrial translation

Morscher's postdoctoral research helped identify the first folate-dependent macromolecule modification in mammals. He observed that folate-activated one-carbon units are required for tRNA methylation in mitochondria. Depletion of folates or the enzyme SHMT2 leads to ribosome stalling and impaired expression of respiratory chain enzymes.[15][6]

Systemic metabolic flux

He also contributed to research that challenged traditional models of the Warburg effect. Using isotope tracing, the research indicated that lactate, rather than glucose, serves as a primary carbon source for the citric acid cycle in most mammalian tissues and tumors.[16]

Awards and honors

  • 2012: Excellence Award, Paracelsus Medical University
  • 2017: Promotio sub auspiciis Praesidentis rei publicae, Republic of Austria[2][5]
  • 2018: Talent Prize, Swiss Society of Paediatrics (SSP/SGP)
  • 2022: Basic Research Prize, Childhood Cancer Switzerland[9]
  • 2025: EMBO Young Investigator[17]
  • 2025: Professor Dr. Max Cloëtta Research Position[18]
  • 2026: FIGHT KIDS CANCER & St. Baldrick's Foundation Arceci Innovation Award[19]
  • 2026: Georg-Friedrich-Götz-Prize

Selected publications

  • Cherkaoui; Morscher (2025). "Reprogramming neuroblastoma by diet-enhanced polyamine depletion". Nature. 646 (8085): 707–715. Bibcode:2025Natur.646..707C. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09564-0. PMC 12527938. PMID 40993392.
  • Morscher; Ducker; Li (2018). "Mitochondrial translation requires folate-dependent tRNA methylation". Nature. 554 (7690): 128–132. Bibcode:2018Natur.554..128M. doi:10.1038/nature25460. PMC 6020024. PMID 29364879.
  • Hui; Ghergurovich; Morscher (2017). "Glucose feeds the TCA cycle via circulating lactate". Nature. 551 (7678): 115–118. Bibcode:2017Natur.551..115H. doi:10.1038/nature24057. PMC 5898814. PMID 29045397.
  • Neinast; Jang; Hui; Morscher (2018). "Quantitative Analysis of the Whole-Body Metabolic Fate of Branched-Chain Amino Acids". Cell Metabolism. 29 (2): 417–429. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2018.10.013. PMC 6365191. PMID 30449684.
  • Korobkina; Morscher (2024). "GLUD1 dictates muscle stem cell differentiation by controlling mitochondrial glutamate levels". Developmental Cell. 59 (21): 2850–2865.e8. doi:10.1016/j.devcel.2024.07.015. PMID 39121856.
  • Morscher; Brard (2021). "First-in-child phase I/II study of the dual mTORC1/2 inhibitor vistusertib (AZD2014)". European Journal of Cancer. 157: 225–237. doi:10.1016/j.ejca.2021.08.026. PMID 34536946.
  • Moreno; Morscher (2021). "Phase I or II Study of Ribociclib in Combination With Topotecan-Temozolomide or Everolimus in Children With Advanced Malignancies". Journal of Clinical Oncology. doi:10.1200/JCO.20.02986 (inactive 21 May 2026).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of May 2026 (link)

References

  1. ↑ "A single mutation in MCCC1 or MCCC2 as a potential cause for positive screening for 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase deficiency". Paracelsus Medizinischen Privatuniversität Bibliothek. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  2. 1 2 Vorarlberg, Landeskommunikation Land (2017-04-10). "Willkommen". Landeskommunikation Land Vorarlberg (in German). Retrieved 2026-03-13.
  3. ↑ Morscher, Raphael Johannes; Aminzadeh-Gohari, Sepideh; Feichtinger, René Gunther; Mayr, Johannes Adalbert; Lang, Roland; Neureiter, Daniel; Sperl, Wolfgang; Kofler, Barbara (2015-06-08). "Inhibition of Neuroblastoma Tumor Growth by Ketogenic Diet and/or Calorie Restriction in a CD1-Nu Mouse Model". PLOS ONE. 10 (6) e0129802. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1029802M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0129802. PMC 4459995. PMID 26053068.
  4. ↑ "Preclinical targeting of cancer metabolism: on dietary intervention and 1C-metabolism flexibility". search-pmu.obvsg.at. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  5. 1 2 "Akademische Ehrungen, Ernennungen und Leistungen - Promotion sub auspiciis praesidentis". Paracelsus Medizinische Privatuniversität. 2017-04-06.
  6. 1 2 Morscher, Raphael J.; et al. (2018-02-01). "Mitochondrial translation requires folate-dependent tRNA methylation". Nature. 554 (7690): 128–132. Bibcode:2018Natur.554..128M. doi:10.1038/nature25460. PMC 6020024. PMID 29364879.
  7. ↑ "Research group Raphael Johannes Morscher". University Hospital Zurich. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  8. 1 2 "Morscher Raphael Johannes | Kinderspital Zürich". www.kispi.uzh.ch (in German). Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  9. 1 2 "Interview Raphael Morscher". Childhood Cancer Switzerland. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  10. ↑ Cherkaoui, Sarah; et al. (2025-10-16). "Reprogramming neuroblastoma by diet-enhanced polyamine depletion". Nature. 646 (8085): 707–715. Bibcode:2025Natur.646..707C. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09564-0. PMC 12527938. PMID 40993392.
  11. ↑ "Nature - Starving cancer". Nature. 2025-10-14. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
  12. ↑ Speleman, Frank; Delhaye, Louis (October 2025). "A drug–diet combination could improve childhood cancer treatment". Nature. 646 (8085): 558–559. Bibcode:2025Natur.646..558S. doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02824-z. PMID 40993410.
  13. ↑ Haber, Michelle; Norris, Murray D. (2026-04-09). "Altering the Diet to Rewire Cancer". New England Journal of Medicine. 394 (14): 1447–1450. doi:10.1056/NEJMcibr2516825. PMID 41950479.
  14. ↑ "Dietary Polyamine Depletion Translationally Rewires Neuroblastoma". Cancer Discovery. 2025. doi:10.1158/2159-8290.CD-RW2025-093.
  15. ↑ Ducker, Gregory S.; et al. (June 2016). "Reversal of Cytosolic One-Carbon Flux Compensates for Loss of the Mitochondrial Folate Pathway". Cell Metabolism. 23 (6): 1140–1153. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2016.04.016. PMC 4909566. PMID 27211901.
  16. ↑ Hui, Sheng; et al. (November 2017). "Glucose feeds the TCA cycle via circulating lactate". Nature. 551 (7678): 115–118. Bibcode:2017Natur.551..115H. doi:10.1038/nature24057. PMC 5898814. PMID 29045397.
  17. ↑ "Raphael Morscher". EMBO. Retrieved 2026-03-13.
  18. ↑ "Medical Research Position". Professor Dr Max Cloëtta Foundation. Retrieved 2026-03-13.
  19. ↑ "Dr Raphael J. Morscher is the recipient of the 2026 FIGHT KIDS CANCER & St Baldrick's Foundation Arceci Innovation Award". Fight Kids Cancer (in French). Retrieved 2026-05-14.
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