Researcher Database

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PD Dr. med. Holger Bronger

Munich
Gynäkologische Tumorimmunologie

Klinik und Poliklinik für Frauenheilkunde Technische Universität München, Klinikum rechts der Isar

Schneckenburger Str. 6

81675 Munich

Programs

Exploitation of Oncogenic Mechanisms (EOM)

Cancer Immunotherapy (CI)

Summary

In recent years more and more immunologic cancer therapies have entered clinical evaluation such as the checkpoint inhibition of PD-1 or PD-L1. However, indispensable for the success of all these immunologic therapy approaches is a sufficient infiltration of the tumor by immune effector cells such as cytotoxic T cells or natural killer cells. This recruitment is mainly mediated by chemokines of the CXCR3 system.

In our lab we investigate the regulation, clinical significance and function of chemokines that regulate the infiltration of tumor-suppressive lymphocytes in solid malignancies on the basis of in vitro and syngeneic in vivo studies. The aim of our research is the identification of pharmacologic possibilities to enhance the secretion of these chemokines from cancer cells in order to improve immune intervention in breast and ovarian cancer.

A second research focus is on the mechanism of peritoneal metastasis of ovarian cancer. Dissemination of ovarian cancer cells throughout the abdominal cavity remains the major clinical challenge in advanced ovarian cancer. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly defined, so that effective pharmacologic targets are still missing. We have already shown that the CXCR3 chemokine receptor mediates the ascites-driven migration of ovarian cancer cells in vitro. In our research group, we currently investigate how ovarian cancer cells can escape from the primary tumor to spread within the peritoneal cavity. To this end, in vitro methods to study cellular mechanisms of migration and syngeneic mouse models are used.

http://www.frauenklinik.med.tum.de/inhalt/gynecologic-tumor-immunology-bronger-lab