Dr. Maximilian Merz

Dr. Maximilian Merz, MD, is a board-certified hematologist-oncologist and multiple myeloma specialist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York. He specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic leukemias, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and multiple myeloma, with particular expertise in CAR T cell therapy and autologous and allogeneic transplantation. He sees patients at MSK Commack and the David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at MSK. Dr. Merz also serves as a visiting scientist at the University Hospital of Leipzig in Germany, where he co-authored the German guidelines for multiple myeloma.

Dr. Merz has published more than 100 peer-reviewed research articles in journals including Nature Medicine, Nature Cancer, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nature Communications, Blood, and Leukemia, and has co-authored multiple book chapters. His work on radiographic imaging in asymptomatic myeloma was incorporated into the International Myeloma Working Group diagnostic guidelines in 2014 and 2019. A study he conducted on the value of autologous transplantation in elderly myeloma patients directly influenced German reimbursement policy for that procedure in 2019. His translational research focuses on understanding how distinct populations of cancer cells in plasma cell disorders respond to immunotherapies, including CAR T cells, using advanced single-cell techniques to investigate mechanisms of treatment resistance. He has served as sub-investigator in multiple Phase I-III trials and participated in international advisory boards, and he reviews for journals including Nature Cancer, JCO, and Blood.

Committed to patient-centered care, Dr. Merz approaches each patient with the same attentiveness he would extend to a family member, balancing the latest advances in cancer research with close attention to individual preferences and quality of life. He recognizes that a cancer diagnosis affects not only patients but also their families and caregivers, and he integrates those broader concerns into his clinical approach. Through his research, clinical expertise, and dedication to compassionate care, Dr. Merz continues to advance outcomes for patients with multiple myeloma and other blood cancers.