Researcher Database
Prof. Dr. David Capper
Charitéplatz 1
10117 Berlin
Program
Molecular Diagnostics, Early Detection, and Biomarker Development (MDEB)
Summary
David Capper has recently taken up a new position as associate professor for molecular Neuropathology at the Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin and has joined the faculty of the DKTK. His research focuses on the Pathology and genetics of adult and pediatric tumors of the central nervous system with a special focus on the development of specific diagnostic markers ("mutation-specific monoclonal antibodies") and classification of brain tumors by genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation patterns. He has extensive experience in coordinating the central pathology of national and international clinical trials such as the INFORM register study. He is member of the “Consensus and Editorial Meeting Working Group” for the Update of the 4th edition of the WHO Classification of Tumours of the Central Nervous System and of the ciMPACT group. As part of the DKTK he will promote the construction of a pipeline for the analysis of tumor methylation patterns, which influence the genetic activity of tumor cells.
DKTK Junior Group Leader for Cancer Systems Biology
Single-cell approaches have not only revealed a wide variety of cell states, characterized by cells exhibiting striking differences in their transcriptional profile, but have also illuminated the mechanisms underlying state transitions in health and disease. Cellular plasticity and adaptive state changes have recently emerged as a basis for therapeutic resistance in cancer, and a better understanding of how cell state transitions are regulated is critical to develop therapeutic approaches that can overcome therapy resistance.
Our research focuses on understanding the mechanisms driving non-genetic cellular heterogeneity and therapy resistance in malignancy. Using novel single-cell sequencing approaches, we seek to develop new experimental and computational strategies to define altered cell states in both, cancer and immune cells. Our aim is to leverage a data driven strategy combined with single cell genomics and systems biology to address the challenges posed by heterogeneity in cancer, and to develop new strategies to overcome it, with the aim of translating laboratory-based findings into the clinic.