Cancer Genome Research

Functional and Structural Genomics

Prof. Dr. Holger Sültmann

Head of Division

The evolution of tumors is accompanied by molecular alterations on genomic, epigenomic, and gene expression levels. The aims of our research are to identify these molecular changes, to translate them into the diagnosis, prognosis and prediction of cancer at therapy response, and to understand their roles in the formation and progression of tumors.

Image: Research content Division Cancer Genome Research at DKFZ, © DKFZ, Abteilung Krebsgenomforschung

Our Research

Our research comprises the genome-wide analysis of molecular alterations in various cancer entities with an emphasis on lung and breast tumors. To this end, we apply high-throughput technologies for DNA- and RNA-sequencing in tissues and blood samples („liquid biopsy“) and use the identified molecular markers for individual risk stratification and personalized clinical management of patients based on the tumor heterogeneity in space and time. To understand the roles of these molecular alterations in tumor progression and therapy resistance, we apply cellular 3D-coculture models as well as a variety of cell- and molecular biology methods.

Cancer cells differ from normal cells by their microenvironment, altered (epi)genomes, as well as gene and protein expression. The characterization of such changes in tumors and tumor stages is essential for understanding the mechanisms of tumor progression and the definition of molecular markers for diagnosis and prognosis. Tumor heterogeneity in space and time determines therapy success and patient survival. Therefore, we concentrate on precision medicine approaches in cancer research to address the following key questions:

tumor risk stratification with multimodal biomarkers
mechanisms of tumor progression and therapy failure
therapy response prediction using noninvasive approaches.

Projects

Clonal evolution of plasma DNA variants during treatment of a lung cancer patient shown in a fishplot

Liquid Biopsy for noninvasive tumor monitoring

Molecular tumor profiling is crucial for clinical practice, as the genomic composition of a tumor considerably influences its response to therapy. Typically, histopathological analysis of tissue samples is performed to determine the molecular properties of a tumor. However, tissue biopsies are invasive, may not accurately reflect tumor heterogeneity and provide little information about metastases.

Liquid biopsy analysis, in contrast to tissue biopsy, utilizes tumor-derived nucleic acids, proteins, or other molecules detected in body fluids, such as blood or urine. Sampling of such fluids is part of routine medical practice in certain cancers and is minimally invasive, with little risk for the patient. Furthermore, tumor material in a liquid biopsy sample may originate not only from the primary tumor but also from metastases, providing valuable insights into tumor heterogeneity.

We focus on the application of liquid biopsy to:

identify new genomic biomarkers to monitor metastatic breast cancer (SATURN³)
analyze epigenomic (DNA methylation) and genomic alterations (single nucleotide variants and copy number variants) to detect minimal residual disease and therapy resistance
trace clonal compositional changes in cancer patients using molecular alterations in longitudinal blood samples
predict therapy response and outcome by fragmentomic analysis of cell-free DNA

Further resources:

Tracking tumors through blood samples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpGLAdQBCdk

Methods for ctDNA detection and analysis: https://youtu.be/pwK1BTlQl6w

Support: German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) in the funding programs German Centers for Lung Research (DZL), OUTLIVE-CRC, and SATURN³

Team

The employees in the division have experience in molecular and cell biology, medicine, or AI-supported data analysis. Our goal is to investigate therapy resistance and translate molecular markers into clinical diagnostics.

Prof. Dr. Holger Sültmann

Head of Division
Dr. Isabell Berneburg
Priv. Doz. Dr. Petros Christopoulos
Michela De Meo
Simay Dolaner
Sabrina Gerhardt
Dr. Kate Glennon
Myesha Jahin
Dr. Florian Janke
Priv. Doz. Dr. Sabine Klauck
Dr. Astrid Laut
Simon John Ogrodnik
Luca Sebastian Schulte
Dr. Rebecca Schunk
Dr. Andrey Turchinovich

Entire Team

Selected Publications

2025 - Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research

Low-coverage whole genome sequencing of cell-free DNA to predict and track immunotherapy response in advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Janke, F, Gasser, M, Angeles, AK, Riediger, AL, Görtz, M, Appenheimer, L, Laut, AK, Ogrodnik, S, Gerhardt, S, Stenzinger, A, Schneider, MA, Thomas, M, Christopoulos, P, Sültmann, H

2023 - British Journal of Cancer

Get in touch with us

Prof. Dr. Holger Sültmann

Head of Division

Cancer Genome Research

Our Research

Projects

Team

Selected Publications

Low-coverage whole genome sequencing of cell-free DNA to predict and track immunotherapy response in advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Integrated circulating tumor DNA and cytokine analysis for therapy monitoring of ALK-rearranged lung adenocarcinoma.

Longitudinal monitoring of cell-free DNA methylation in ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes.

Get in touch with us

Prof. Dr. Holger Sültmann