Cancer research made in Tuebingen
iFIT Cluster of Excellence
Zentrale Fragestellung
Approach
A wide range of screening instruments and molecular biological methods are available to investigate the (patho)physiology of tumor cells. These make it possible to separate biological processes into their individual components and thus better understand them. In pioneering studies, the coordinators of the research area, Prof. Dr. Lars Zender and Prof. Dr. Stefan Laufer, have been able to contribute to a profound understanding of tumor biology and the development of new therapeutic approaches for hepatocellular carcinomas, among others, through the use of functional genetic screens. The "Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery" (TüCAD2), which is closely linked to the FIMT division of the Cluster of Excellence, was established to further develop these findings for clinical application. This center forms the interface between the preclinical identification of a pharmacological target in tumor cells and the academic development of a drug for use in patients. The research area thus covers the entire pipeline for the development of new tumor therapies, from target identification to drug development. The research area "Functional Target Identification and Molecular Tumor Therapy" (FIMT) is subdivided into three research modules:
- FIMT-1: Image-Guided Therapeutic Exploitation of Cancer Stress Responses and Stress Support Pathway
- FIMT-2: Functional Genetic Screening to Dissect Immunotherapy Resistance
- FIMT-3: Transporter-Mediated Drug Resistance and Patient-Individualized Screening in 3D Culture System
FIMT-1
In the research module "Image-guided therapeutic use of cancer stress responses and stress support pathways", the stress responses of tumor cells are visualized using innovative imaging techniques and examined for weak points that can be used therapeutically. One example of this is the so-called "senescence" as a form of stress response of tumor cells. This condition is described as a growth arrest that can be triggered by targeted molecular or chemotherapeutic therapies and prevents the tumor cells from growing further. At the same time, senescent cells secrete a variety of factors that can influence the tumor microenvironment both positively and negatively. In order to make these and other forms of the stress response of tumor cells in the living organism visible and therapeutically usable, state-of-the-art imaging techniques are required, which are being developed as part of this research module and in close collaboration with MFMI and form the basis for identifying new treatment options. FIMT-1 also uses functional screening methods to develop new therapeutic approaches for inducing senescence in tumor cells or for immune-mediated elimination of senescent tumor cells (in collaboration with ImmT).
FIMT-2
Innovative cancer therapies, such as checkpoint inhibitor-based immunotherapies, have expanded the range of options for treating tumors in recent years and significantly improved the chances of therapeutic success. Cancer immunotherapies are based on the modulation of certain signaling pathways within our immune system, which results in the activation of immune cells and the recognition and elimination of tumor cells. Nevertheless, resistance to such therapies occurs in a large number of patients and there is a lack of valid methods to determine which patients are eligible for immunotherapy. The FIMT-2 research module "Functional genetic screening to decipher immunotherapy resistance" is concerned with the reasons for resistance to therapy, particularly in cancer immunotherapies, and how this resistance can be overcome. In close collaboration with ImmT, the aim of this research module is therefore to overcome resistance through novel combinations of immunotherapies or by combining immunotherapies with targeted molecular therapies and to develop biomarkers for predicting therapy response.
FIMT-3
The imaging-guided and function-based cancer therapies developed as part of iFIT can address and overcome many of the mechanisms of therapy resistance inherent in cancer cells. However, sustained therapeutic success through such therapies can be hindered by transporter-mediated drug resistance. In order to develop improved cancer therapies with a sustainable therapeutic effect, the FIMT3 module will therefore functionally characterize the cellular upstream and downstream transporters for all drugs investigated and applied within iFIT. The aim of our integrative approach is 1) to identify the transporter-mediated resistance mechanisms; 2) to develop strategies to visualize the transporter-mediated resistance mechanisms and 3) to find ways to overcome these resistance mechanisms. The research module benefits from a seamless collaboration between the research areas FIMT and MFMI.
Principal & Associated Investigators
Principal & Associated Investigators
Dr. Wolfgang Albrecht
COO
HepaRegeniX
E-mail address: w.albrecht@heparegenix.com
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PD Dr. Maya André
Forschungsgruppenleiterin
Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin
E-mail address: maya.andre@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Arbeitsgruppenleiterin
Phone number: +49 7071 29-86773
E-mail address: liudmila.andreeva@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Publications: Publications
apl. Prof. Dr. Sandra Beer-Hammer
Stellvertretende Abteilungsleiterin
Phone number: +49 7071 29-74594
Fax number: 07071 29-4942
E-mail address: sandra.beer-hammer@uni-tuebingen.de
Publications: Publications
Dr. Saskia Biskup
Fachärztin für Humangenetik
Zentrum für Humangenetik Tübingen
E-mail address: Saskia.Biskup@humangenetik-tuebingen.de
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Stellv. Ärztlicher Direktor
Phone number: +49 7071-29-85415
E-mail address: m.bitzer@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Publications: Publications
Prof. Dr. Hiltrud Brauch
Professorin
Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch Institute of Clinical Pharmacology (IKP)
E-mail address: hiltrud.brauch@ikp-stuttgart.de
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Prof. Dr. Mathias Heikenwälder
Wissenschaftlicher Direktor
M3 Forschungszentrum
E-mail address: Mathias.Heikenwaelder@med.uni-tuebingen.de
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Apl. Prof. Dr. med. Ulrich M. Lauer
Stellvertretender Ärztlicher Direktor
Phone number: +49 7071 29-83190
Fax number: 07071 29-4686
E-mail address: ulrich.lauer@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Publications: Publications
Prof. Dr. Stefan Laufer
Professor
Pharmazeutische Chemie
E-mail address: stefan.laufer@uni-tuebingen.de
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Jun. Prof. Dr. med. Josef Leibold
Juniorprofessor für Functional Immunogenomics
Phone number: +49 7071 29-82711
E-mail address: josef.leibold@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Publications: Publications
Ärztlicher Direktor
Phone number: +49 7071 29-82722
Fax number: 07071292095
E-mail address: nisar.malek@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Publications: Publications
Prof. Dr. Anne Nies
Forschungsgruppenleiterin
Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch Institute of Clinical Pharmacology (IKP)
E-mail address: anne.nies@ikp-stuttgart.de
Person profile: https://www.ikp.de/en/team/prof-dr-anne-nies
Prof. Dr. Nikita Popov
Professor
Medizinische Klinik - Innere Medizin VIII
E-mail address: nikita.popov@uni-tuebingen.de
Prof. Dr. Antii Poso
Professor
University of Eastern Finland
E-mail address: Antti.Poso@med.uni-tuebingen.de
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Prof. Dr. Tassula Proikas-Cezanne
Forschungsgruppenleiterin
Universität Tübingen
E-mail address: tassula.proikas-cezanne@uni-tuebingen.de
Prof. Dr. Olaf Rieß
Ärztlicher Direktor
Institut für Medizinische Genetik und Angewandte Genomik
E-mail address: olaf.riess@med.uni-tuebingen.de
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Dr. Elke Schaeffeler
Forschungsgruppenleiterin
Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch Institute of Clinical Pharmacology (IKP)
E-mail address: elke.schaeffeler@ikp-stuttgart.de
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Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Birgit Schittek
Arbeitsgruppenleiterin
Phone number: +49 7071 29-80832
Fax number: 07071-295187
E-mail address: birgit.schittek@uni-tuebingen.de
Publications: Publications
PD Dr. med. Corina Schneidawind, Ph.D.
Fachärztin und Forschungsgruppenleiterin
Phone number: +49 7071 29-82712
Fax number: 07071 29-4930
E-mail address: corina.schneidawind@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Publications: Publications
Prof. Dr. Klaus Schulze-Osthoff
Abteilungsleiter Molekulare Medizin
Interfakultäres Institut für Biochemie
E-mail address: kso@uni-tuebingen.de
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Prof. Dr. Matthias Schwab
Institutsleiter
Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch Institute of Clinical Pharmacology (IKP)
E-mail address: matthias.schwab@ikp-stuttgart.de
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Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Lisa Sevenich
Arbeitsgruppenleiterin
Phone number: +49 7071 29-82514
E-mail address: lisa.sevenich@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Publications: Publikationen
Publications: Publications
Publications: Publications
Prof. Dr.med Dr. rer.nat. Ghazaleh Tabatabai
Ärztliche Direktorin, Abteilung Neurologie mit Interdisziplinärem Schwerpunkt Neuroonkologie
Phone number: +49 7071 29-85018
Fax number: 07071 29-25167
E-mail address: ghazaleh.tabatabai@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Publications: Publications
Univ. Prof. Dr. med. Lars Zender
Ärztlicher Direktor
Phone number: +49 7071 29-83675
Fax number: 07071 29-25062
E-mail address: lars.zender@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Publications: Publications
