AI-guided characterization of copy number signatures in the context of cancer therapies

Besides mutations, copy number variants (CNVs) impact cancer’s onset, progression, and treatment resistance. Their study is therefore vital for advancing precision oncology. Advancements in cancer genomics, including mutational signatures (patterns of mutations) have enhanced our understanding of cancer development and resistance. However, patterns of CNVs remain understudied. We aim to thoroughly examine CNV signatures in recurring and metastasizing cancers post-treatment.

Identification of immunological characteristics which influence the response to immunotherapies

The interaction between the immune system and cancer cells remains poorly understood. With the advent of new immunotherapies, understanding this relationship between immune and cancer cells is becoming increasingly important. Indeed, immunotherapies can be associated with inflammatory responses that resemble autoimmune diseases and often require discontinuation of treatment. In this project, the team will investigate how immunological signals affect the efficacy of immunotherapies and what factors lead to intestinal inflammation under these therapies.

Tumor monitoring and molecular risk stratification by means of liquid biopsy in the case of meningeoma patients prior to radiotherapy

Radiotherapy represents an effective treatment approach during therapy for a meningeoma, a brain tumor that arises from the minenges membrane layers. This therapy is particularly preferred in the case of inoperable patients. In the case of hard-to-reach tumors, biopsies are frequently avoided due to the potential risks posed by an operation: the lack of tumor material removes the possibility of a radiation treatment planning adapted to the tumor’s aggressiveness.

Else Kröner Memorial Fellowships 2023

Within the scope of Else Kröner Memorial Fellowships the foundation Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung (EKFS) supports physicians at the beginning of their professional careers who are active in clinical and scientific functions. As a result of being released from clinical responsibilities for a period of two years, these fellowship recipients have the opportunity to focus their efforts on a promising medical research project. Each fellowship is endowed with a total of EUR 250,000.


This year nine medical doctors are receiving an Else Kröner Memorial Fellowship:

 

Checking back: What is Dr. Leonhard Möckl, successful first-round and second-time applicant from 2020, doing these days?

From 2008 to 2013 Leonhard Möckl studied chemistry and biochemistry at LMU, a university in Munich. Parallel to obtaining a master’s degree he began work on his Ph.D. in the group headed by Prof. Dr. Christoph Bräuchle, which was co-supervised by Prof. Dr. Thisbe K. Lindhorst (CAU Kiel). In 2015 he received a doctorate for his thesis on the biophysical relevance of the glycocalyx. He spent the next four years in a capacity as postdoctoral researcher with W. E. Moerner at Stanford University. While there, the natural scientist worked in close cooperation with the group headed by Prof.

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