Dr Michaela Kirschner is an experienced molecular biologist with a strong background in microRNA, mesothelioma, and biomarker research. She is the research coordinator and a research fellow in the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the University Hospital Zurich and the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Dr Kirschner holds a PhD in molecular oncology from the University of Heidelberg, and the German Cancer Research Centre. Her PhD focused on the investigation of the direct anti-tumour efficacy of third generation bisphosphonates on lung cancer. In 2009, Dr Kirschner started work in the field of mesothelioma research by joining the team of Prof Nico van Zandwijk and Dr Glen Reid at the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute in Sydney, Australia, as a postdoctoral research fellow. During her 5 years in Sydney, Dr Kirschner predominantly focused on the role of microRNAs in mesothelioma, and there mainly on their biomarker potential. Dr Kirschner’s work has so far identified several microRNA biomarker candidates, both expressed in tissue and cell-free in the circulation. Since 2014, Dr. Kirschner is continuing her microRNA-focused biomarker research in Zurich.