Three days packed with ideas, algorithms, and discussion! The DZL (German Center for Lung Research) DataLung Symposium 2026 brought together researchers, clinicians, and data scientists at Rauischholzhausen Castle near Giessen in late April.
Set in the calm and historic surroundings of the castle, the meeting offered three days of focused scientific exchange, collaboration, and community building. For many, it was both a happy reunion of the established DataLung cohort and a warm welcome for new members joining the network.
New students from the Munich site of the German Center for Lung Research (CPC-M) this year are: Daria Romanovskaia, Julia Naas, Florian Belger, Xue Zhang, Harish Narasimhan, Buse Karakuzulu, Peizhen Hong, Diana Porras-Gonzalez. Welcome!
The symposium opened with remarks by Dr. Christian Kalberlah, Managing Director of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), followed by a welcome address from DataLung Chair Dr. Malte Lücken and Co-Chair Dr. Svenja Gaedcke. Together, they emphasized the growing importance of interdisciplinary work at the intersection of medicine, artificial intelligence, and data science - and the need to translate innovation into practice.
The scientific program reflected the breadth and depth of current AI-driven biomedical research. A central highlight was the keynote lecture “Large Models in Research AI Consulting: Promise, Pitfalls, and Practice” by Dr. Marie Piraud (Helmholtz Munich). Her talk offered a balanced view on the potential of large AI models, while also addressing practical and methodological challenges in real-world research settings. The panel discussion “LLMs for Research: Risks and Rewards” provided space for critical reflection. Panelists shared diverse perspectives on the transformative potential of large language models, while also addressing their limitations, risks, and ethical implications in scientific work.
A big thank you for the excellent organization goes to the DZL DataLung Steering Board members Doreen Franke, Svenja Gaedcke, Jan Fuge, Raphael Majeed, Inke König, and Malte Lücken, as well as to Stephanie Hirn for the creative, interactive icebreaker activities!
With the DataLung School, the DZL specifically supports early-career researchers at the interface of pulmonary research, data science, and artificial intelligence. The program combines structured training in areas such as statistics, programming, and machine learning with a strong interdisciplinary network across the DZL.