Press Releases
New approaches against metastatic breast cancer: mini-tumors from circulating cancer cells
Brustkrebs-Organoid
© Trumpp/DKFZ
Tumor cells circulating in the blood are the "germ cells" of breast cancer metastases. They are very rare and could not be propagated in the culture dish until now, which made research into therapy resistance difficult. A team from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the Heidelberg Stem Cell Institute HI-STEM* and the NCT Heidelberg** has now succeeded for the first time in cultivating stable tumor organoids directly from blood samples of breast cancer patients. Using these mini-tumors, the researchers were able to decipher a molecular signaling pathway that ensures the cancer cells' survival and resistance to therapy. With this knowledge, the team was able to develop an approach to specifically eliminate these tumor cells in lab experiments.
Joint research on the next generation of sun screens
© Adobe Stock
The German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Beiersdorf are cooperating on the development of innovative sun protection products – and are working together to educate people about effective protection against harmful UV radiation.
Double ERC success for DKFZ researchers
Ana Banito
© Marius Stark/DKFZ
With its "Consolidator Grants", the European Research Council (ERC) supports excellent scientists in advancing their independent careers. This year, Ana Banito (Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg/German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ) and Aurélie Ernst (DKFZ) are pleased to receive the prestigious ERC funding. Ana Banito will use the two million euros in funding to find new therapeutic approaches for the better treatment of sarcomas in children. Aurélie Ernst will use the grant to explore how and under what molecular circumstances cancer develops from cells with an unstable genome.
Chromosomal chaos promotes therapy resistance in leukemia cells and opens up new treatment approaches
CK-AML chromosomes even form ring-shaped structures
© Leppä/DKFZ
Chromosomal instability plays a crucial role in the progression of cancer: it shapes the properties of tumor cells and drives the development of therapy resistance. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the Heidelberg Stem Cell Institute HI-STEM* and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) used state-of-the-art single-cell analysis methods to analyze the cellular heterogeneity of a specific form of acute myeloid leukemia. Their data show how genetic and non-genetic factors determine the functional heterogeneity of blood cancer cells and reveal new therapeutic targets.
Twelve scientists ranking in the top 1%
© dkfz.de
Twelve scientists who conduct research at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) or head joint bridge departments with the DKFZ have made it to the top in 2024: they are among the leading one percent of the world's most cited researchers in their respective fields. Scientists whose work is particularly frequently cited by peers are considered to have above-average recognition in their field. Therefore, citation frequency is one of the important metrics for measuring the influence and performance of individual researchers.
Selenium proteins as a possible new target for cancer research
Metastasis of a neuroblastoma in a mouse model
© dkfz.de
An important enzyme helps the body produce selenium proteins – this discovery could open up new strategies for treating cancer in children. This has been published by scientists from the University of Würzburg, the University Sao Paolo, the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Heidelberg Stem Cell Institute HI-STEM*.
New vaccines offer hope for brain tumor patients
Michael Platten
© J. Jung/DKFZ
Michael Platten is the winner of the "Breakthrough of the Year 2024" in the Life Sciences category of the Falling Walls Foundation.
Language model "UroBot“ surpasses the accuracy of experienced urologists
© Fotolia
Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), together with doctors from the Urological Clinic of the Mannheim University Hospital, have developed and successfully tested a chatbot based on artificial intelligence. "UroBot" was able to answer questions from the urology specialist examination with a high degree of accuracy, surpassing both other language models and the accuracy of experienced urologists. The model justifies its answers in detail based on the guidelines.
Critical Pathway for rare brain tumor discovered
Crystal Structure of Wnt8
© Kevinmjude/Wikipedia
Choroid plexus tumors mainly affect toddlers under one year of age. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now been able to show that a permanently activated important signaling pathway of intracellular communication is responsible for the development of these rare brain tumors.
Stronger together: miniature robots in convoy for endoscopic surgery
© dkfz.de
Miniature robots on the millimeter scale often lack the strength to transport instruments for endoscopic microsurgery through the body. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) are now combining several millimeter-sized TrainBots into one unit and equipping them with improved "feet". For the first time, the DKFZ team was able to perform an electric surgical procedure on a bile duct obstruction experimentally with a robotic convoy.
