New management of the CCP-Bio

Medical research and the development of new therapies depends upon well-characterized biosamples. The human biobanks of the DKTK sites and other partners manage extensive collections of biosamples such as tissue and liquid or their derivatives to ensure availability for research projects in compliance with legal and ethical requirements. In their new function as joint heads of the CCP-Bio, Dr. Heidi Altmann and Dr. Katja Steiger aim to further promote translational cancer research by providing quality-assured biosamples at the DKTK partner sites and integrating comprehensive data. "With the CCP-Bio, we make biosamples and associated data findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (= FAIR). This provides an important basis for new scientific findings and innovative therapeutic approaches in the fight against cancer," they both agree.

Heidi Altmann (on the left) is a biotechnologist and molecular biologist, spokesperson for BioBank Dresden and a member of the Steering Committee of the German Biobank Alliance and the Ethics Committee of the Technische Universität Dresden. Her research focuses on the development of new biobanking technologies, the identification of quality markers for biosamples and in the field of hematologic-oncologic cancer research. "My intention with the CCP-Bio is to more actively network the DKTK biobanks and to further expand their collaboration in the context of supporting oncological research projects in the network," says Altmann. 

Katja Steiger (on the right) is a veterinary pathologist and heads the tissue biobank at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Her research focuses on the comparative pathology of animal models of human diseases and the development of spatially resolved omics methods, particularly in translational cancer research. "With the CCP-Bio, I want to support translational research at the DKTK and thus enable and accelerate research in the interests of patients for our researchers - together we are much better!" summarizes Steiger.