Press Releases
Position of the cell nucleus affects epigenetics and therefore gene activity and cell function
Wing of a female Drosophila
© Martin Hauser Phycus / Wikimedia Commons
Depending on whether the cell nucleus of an epithelial cell is located on the outer or inner side of the tissue, the genome is more or less acetylated - genes can therefore be translated easier or harder. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have demonstrated this for the first time in the development of the Drosophila wing. The results have now been published in the journal Nature.
Which of the two DNA strands is damaged influences the cell's mutation profile
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Cancer genomes are the result of diverse mutation processes that have often accumulated over decades. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh have analyzed the molecular evolution of tumors after exposure to mutagenic chemicals. DNA lesions that persists unrepaired over several cell generations lead to sequence variations at the site of damage, the quantification of which provides insights into the kinetics and mechanisms of DNA repair. This enabled the researchers to distinguish the contribution of the triggering lesion from that of the subsequent repair in shaping the mutation pattern. These results have now been published in the journal Nature.
DKTK Munich: Phagocytes from the culture dish for cancer therapy
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Cell-based cancer therapies often fail nowadaystoday because the immune cells are unable to penetrate the tumor efficiently. The use of certain phagocytes is considered a promising alternative - but until now it has not been possible to grow them in sufficient quantities in the culture dish. Researchers from the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) at the LMU Munich Hospital have now found a solution: Using a transcription factor that can be switched on or off via an activator in the cells' culture medium.
In the DKTK, the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, as a core center, is joining forces on a long-term basis with university partner sites with special oncological expertise.
Leonardo Ayala receives Helmholtz Doctoral Prize 2024
Leonardo Ayala
© DKFZ/Jung
A multispectral imaging system developed by Leonardo Ayala at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) allows for the first time tissue perfusion to be monitored in real time during a minimally invasive surgery. The Helmholtz Association recognizes this excellent achievement and has awarded Leornardo Ayala the annual doctoral prize in the field of health.
Predicting cancer risks on the basis of national health data
© Fotolia
Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the European Bioinformatics Institute EMBL-EBI, Hinxton, UK, are using the Danish health registers to predict individual risks for 20 different types of cancer with a high degree of accuracy. The prediction model can also be transferred to other healthcare systems. It could help to identify people with a high risk of cancer, for whom individualized early detection programs could be tested in studies.
Colorectal cancer: tracking down subtypes
© Fotolia
Colorectal cancer differs from patient to patient. That is why scientists are looking for characteristic tumors markers that allow to make predictions about the likely response to certain therapies and the individual prognosis. The aim is to identify colorectal cancer subtypes so that these can then be treated in a customized manner. Two informative markers are microsatellite instability (MSI) and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). As researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have shown, it makes sense to combine the two markers.
Prostate cancer screening: longer screening intervals are safe with low baseline PSA
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The aim of the PROBASE* study is to develop a prostate cancer screening strategy that significantly reduces the problem of overdiagnosis. Based on PROBASE data, scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now determined that men who have a low-risk PSA value of less than 1.5 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) at the age of 45 develop prostate cancer extremely rarely in the following five years (9 out of 14,248) and do not require a repeat PSA test during this period if they have no symptoms.
Ana Banito receives Hella Bühler Prize 2024
Ana Banito
© Tobias Schwerdt / DKFZ
Her outstanding research on the biology of soft-tissue sarcomas, a kind of tumor occurring in particular with children and young adults, has earned Ana Banito the Hella Bühler Prize – which comes with 100,000 euros in prize money. The award granted by Heidelberg University goes to young researchers from the Heidelberg research location who have already drawn attention to themselves through the outstanding scientific quality of their cancer research. Ana Banito is a junior research group leader at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ). The award ceremony is taking place on 16 May 2024. Frauke Melchior, Rector of Ruperto Carola, will present the prize.
New viruses on the horizon
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Suddenly they appear and - like the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus - can trigger major epidemics: Viruses that nobody had on their radar. They are not really new, but they have changed genetically. In particular, the exchange of genetic material between different virus species can lead to the sudden emergence of threatening pathogens with significantly altered characteristics. This is suggested by current genetic analyses carried out by an international team of researchers. Virologists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) were in charge of the large-scale study.
Intermittent fasting protects against liver inflammation and liver cancer / Drug partially mimics fasting effects
Histological section of a murine liver showing severe steatosis.
© Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Division of Intramural Research, NIEHS (NIH) / Wikipedia
Fatty liver disease often leads to chronic liver inflammation and can even result in liver cancer. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the University of Tübingen have now shown in mice* that intermittent fasting on a 5:2 schedule can halt this development. The fasting regime reduces the development of liver cancer in mice with pre-existing liver inflammation. The researchers identified two proteins in liver cells that are jointly responsible for the protective effect of fasting. An approved drug can partially mimic this effect.
