iFIT Lunch & Learn with Prof. Dr. Mathias Heikenwälder and Niklas Vesper
The iFIT Cluster of Excellence hosted another Lunch & Learn Session, bringing together researchers interested in cutting-edge approaches to cancer biology, immunology and biomedical imaging. The one-hour seminar, titled "An Introduction to Receptor Engineering and the Challenges of Multiplex Tissue Analysis – and use for in vivo model testing", took place at the University Hospital Tübingen and was open to scientists, clinicians and students interested in translational cancer research.
The iFIT Lunch & Learn format is a recurring seminar series designed to foster scientific exchange across disciplines by providing concise, accessible talks on emerging technologies and discoveries in cancer research. Organized by the iFIT Cluster of Excellence (EXC 2180), the series reflects the cluster's mission of accelerating the development of personalized cancer therapies by integrating functional target discovery, immunotherapy and advanced molecular imaging. As Germany's only oncology Cluster of Excellence, iFIT brings together around 200 researchers from multiple institutions to translate fundamental discoveries into new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
The seminar features two experts with complementary perspectives. Prof. Dr. Mathias Heikenwälder, internationally recognized expert in liver disease and cancer biology, will contribute his expertise in translational oncology and tumor microenvironment research. He will be joined by Niklas Vesper from the University Hospital Freiburg, whose work focuses on receptor engineering and advanced tissue analysis technologies. Together, they illustrated how combining engineered cellular systems with sophisticated spatial tissue profiling can generate new insights into cancer biology and guide the development of more effective therapies.
This session focuses on two complementary technologies that are becoming increasingly important in modern cancer research. The first part introduced synthetic receptor engineering, an approach that enables researchers to design and modify cellular receptors with modular components. These engineered receptors can be used to precisely investigate cellular signaling pathways, improve our understanding of tumor biology and ultimately support the development of innovative therapeutic strategies.
The second part addressed the challenges of multiplex tissue analysis, a rapidly evolving field that allows many biomarkers to be examined simultaneously within a single tissue sample. While these technologies provide unprecedented insight into the tumor microenvironment, they also present significant analytical challenges. The speakers discussed current limitations in accurately segmenting individual cells and distinguishing overlapping cellular structures within the three-dimensional architecture of tissues. These technical hurdles directly influence how researchers interpret spatial biology data. The presented datasets will demonstrate how advanced tissue analysis can serve as the foundation for in vivo screening studies, helping researchers validate experimental findings and identify novel mechanisms that could improve liver cancer therapy.
The Lunch & Learn series continues throughout the year with regular events covering diverse aspects of cancer research. Find out more about iFit and their Lunch & Learn series: https://www.medizin.uni-tuebingen.de/en-de/medizinische-fakultaet/forschung/ifit-exzellenzcluster