With this Joint Funding Call, DKTK aims to stimulate the interaction between DKTK partner sites, to bridge the gap between basic and clinical research, and to accelerate the translation and transfer of scientific discoveries in the areas of prevention, early detection, diagnosis and therapy into tangible outputs for patients. DKTK seeks to fund collaborative translational research projects that focus on the translation and transfer of preclinical research results into medical application by supporting critical steps for the successful preparation of a clinical trial or transfer activities (e.g., medicinal products).

This DKTK Joint Funding Call will support translational cancer research projects, which are driven by strong preliminary results and established proof-of concept, for up to 2 years in two areas: 

• Pillar 1: Therapeutic Innovations 
• Pillar 2: Diagnostic Innovations & Molecular Prevention 

At least two DKTK partner sites must be involved in the proposed innovative project. Maximum budget that can be requested per research project is 1.5 Mio €. 

A total of 37 proposals have been submitted during this call. The following three research projects were selected for funding:

• Enhancing CAR T-Cell Therapy through Metabolic CAR-T Engineering and Tumor Microenvironment Reprogramming  (Boost-CAR): Development of a new CAR T-cell type with improved efficacy in immunosuppressive lymphoma microenvironments by metabolic enhancement and reprogramming of the response to TME signals
  
  Overall coordinator: Prof. Dr. Sascha Dietrich, Essen/Düsseldorf
  Participating DKTK sites: Essen/Düsseldorf, Frankfurt/Mainz, Munich

   

• Targeting Sarcoma-Driving Fusion Genes by T Cell Receptor Engineered T Cells (TFUSION): Development of TCR-engineered T cell therapies that target fusion gene-derived peptides in advanced Ewing sarcoma (EWS) and rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS)
  
  Overall coordinators: Dr. Christian Seitz, Heidelberg; Prof. Dr. Martin Ebinger, Tübingen
  Participating DKTK sites: Heidelberg, Tübingen​​​​​​​
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• Phosphoproteomics for routine cancer diagnostics (PhosDx): Preparation and validation of a phosphoproteomics-based method, as a clinical diagnostic tool to improve treatment decisions for patients with rare or advanced cancers​​​​​​​
  
  Overall coordinator: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Küster, Munich​​​​​​​
  Participating DKTK sites: Dresden, Heidelberg, Munich

With the DKTK Joint Funding Program line "INNOVATION", DKTK supports translational research projects of DKTK scientists for up to three years. At least three DKTK partner sites must be involved in the proposed research project. Maximum budget that can be requested in this Call is 1.5 Mio €.

A total of 35 proposals have been submitted during this call. The following three research projects were selected for funding:

• TME Modulation & Enhanced Antitumor Immunity  (ASTRON): mRNA-Based Strategies for Targeted TME Modulation and Enhanced Antitumor Immunity
  
  Overall coordinator: Prof. Dr. Niels Halama, Frankfurt/Mainz
  Participating DKTK sites: Essen/Düsseldorf, Frankfurt/Mainz, Heidelberg

• Organoid co-cultures of the cancer microbiome (BACTORG): Elucidating Bacterial Impacts on Colorectal Cancer Phenotypes and Therapies using patient-derived Organoids
  
  Overall coordinators: Prof. Dr. Dr. Melanie Börries, Freiburg; Dr. Jens Puschhof, Heidelberg
  Participating DKTK sites: Berlin, Dresden, Frankfurt/Mainz, Freiburg, Heidelberg, München

• Boost Immuno-Therapy for AML (BITeAML): Revolutionizing immunotherapy against acute myeloid leukemia
  
  Overall coordinator: Prof. Dr. Thomas Oellerich, Frankfurt/Mainz
  Participating DKTK sites: Berlin, Frankfurt/Mainz, Freiburg, Tübingen

With the DKTK Joint Funding Program line "INNOVATION", DKTK supports translational research projects of DKTK scientists for up to three years. At least three DKTK partner sites must be involved in the proposed research project. Maximum budget that can be requested in this Call is 1.5 Mio €.

A total of 21 proposals have been submitted during this call. The following three research modules were selected for funding:
 

• Decoding the ecosystem of uveal melanoma (Decode-UM): Decoding the cellular ecosystem of uveal melanoma for monitoring and therapeutic targeting
  
  Overall coordinator: Prof. Dr. Ulrich Keller, Berlin
  Participating DKTK sites: Berlin, Essen/Düsseldorf, Heidelberg, Tübingen 

• Hematopoietic trajectories in cancer (HematoTrac): Environmental impact of spatiotemporal trajectories from intratumoral hematopoietic stem-cell differentiation
  
  Overall coordinator: Prof. Dr. Björn Scheffler, Essen/Düsseldorf
  Participating DKTK sites: Essen/Düsseldorf, Frankfurt/Mainz, Freiburg
  
   
• Rapid liquid biopsy and intraoperative diagnostics (LeOPARD): Ad-hoc sequencing of Liquid and intra-Operative biopsies for Point-of-care And Rapid molecular Diagnostics
  
  Overall coordinator: PD Dr. Philipp Euskirchen, Berlin
  Participating DKTK sites: Berlin, Dresden, Essen/Düsseldorf, Frankfurt/Mainz, Freiburg Heidelberg, Munich, Tübingen (all partner sites)

With the DKTK Joint Funding Program line "UPGRADE", DKTK supports collaborative research modules that complement existing IITs/clinical studies with limited “add‐on” funding for up to 3 years. The underlying IIT/clinical study may or may not be DKTK funded.

A total of 19 proposals have been submitted during this call. The following three research modules were selected for funding:
 

• Precision monitoring and targeting of T-ALL (IDENTI-T): Decoding cellular identities of T-ALL for therapeutic monitoring and targeting by single-cell multi-omics and data-informed cytometry.
  
  Overall coordinators: Prof. Ulrich Keller, PD Dr. Stefan Schwartz, Berlin
  Participating DKTK sites: Berlin, Frankfurt/Mainz, Heidelberg
  
   
• Tumor heterogeneity impacts immunotherapy (TRICKY): Tumor heterogeneity impacts patient outcomes upon immune checkpoint inhibition in melanoma.
  
  Overall coordinator: Prof. Selma Ugurel, Essen/Düsseldorf
  Participating DKTK sites: Dresden, Essen/Düsseldorf, Heidelberg
  
   
• Translational program of IT-PD1/NOA-26 study (TRUST): Translational research program using longitudinal biosamples from enrolled patients during intrathecal immunotherapy within the multicenter investigator-inititated IT-PD1/NOA-26 clinical study.

            Overall coordinator: Prof. Ghazaleh Tabatabai, Tübingen
            Participating DKTK sites: Berlin, Essen/Düsseldorf, Heidelberg, Tübingen

With the DKTK Joint Funding Program line "INNOVATION", DKTK supports translational research projects and investigator-initiated trials (IITs) of DKTK scientists for up to three years (up to four years for IITs). At least three DKTK partner sites must be involved in the proposed research project/IIT. Maximum budget that can be requested per research project/IIT in this Call is 1.5 Mio €.

26 proposals were submitted in this call. Six projects, three research projects and three IITs,  were selected for a respective 3-year (research projects) or 4-year (IITs) funding in the DKTK Joint Funding Program:

• FIH study evaluating CR276xCD3 bsAb CC-3 in CRC (CD276xCD3), IIT: First in human study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of the bispecific CD276xCD3 antibody CC-3 in patients with colorectal cancer.
  
  Overall Coordinator: Prof. Helmut Salih, Tübingen 
  Participating DKTK sites: Berlin, Frankfurt/Mainz, Freiburg, Heidelberg, München, Tübingen
  
   
• Hyperpolarized MRI of Cancer Metabolism & Markers (HYPERBOLIC), research project: Visualizing hallmarks of cancer through tailored hyperpolarized magnetic resonance imaging.
  
  Overall Coordinator: Dr. Andreas Schmidt, Freiburg 
  Participating DKTK sites: Freiburg, Heidelberg, München, Tübingen
  
   
• Intraventricular TCR therapy for glioblastoma (INVENT4GB), IIT: Intraventricular T cell receptor transgenic T cell therapy to treat glioblastoma.
  
  Overall Coordinators: Prof. Michael Platten, Prof. Wolfgang Wick, Heidelberg 
  Participating DKTK sites: Berlin, Frankfurt/Mainz, Heidelberg, Tübingen
  
   
• AML treatment with non-viral CAR-NK cells plus AZA (NoviCARAZA), research project: Treatment of acute myeloid leukemia by combining azacitidine with non-virally engineered CLEC12A-targeting CAR-NK cells.
  
  Overall Coordinator: Prof. Evelyn Ullrich, Frankfurt 
  Participating DKTK sites: Berlin, Frankfurt/Mainz, Freiburg, Heidelberg, Tübingen
  
   
• Personalized vaccination in fusion+ sarcoma patients (PerVision), IIT: Prospective phase I/II trial of an individualized peptide vaccine in pediatric and AYA patients with metastasized fusion-driven sarcomas following standard treatment.
  
  Overall Coordinator: Dr. Martin Ebinger, Tübingen  
  Participating DKTK sites: Berlin, Dresden, Essen/Düsseldorf, Frankfurt/Mainz, Freiburg, Heidelberg, München, Tübingen
  
   
• The AHR signature as response predictor (PredictAHR), research project: AHR signature technology as a predictor for therapy response.
  
  Overall Coordinator: Dr. Christiane Opitz, Heidelberg 
  Participating DKTK sites: Berlin, Dresden, Essen/Düsseldorf, Frankfurt/Mainz, Heidelberg, München

With the DKTK Joint Funding Program line "UPGRADE", DKTK supports collaborative research modules that complement existing IITs/clinical studies with limited “add‐on” funding for up to 3 years. The underlying IIT/clinical study may or may not be DKTK funded.

12 research proposals were submitted in this call. Six projects were selected for a respective 3-year funding in the DKTK Joint Funding Program:

• Amplify Immunological Insights by Glioma Organoids (AMI2GO): Insights into mechanisms of T cell response and resistance in post-treatment multicellular AMPLIFY NEOVAC glioma organoids. 

            Overall Coordinator: Prof. Michael Platten, Heidelberg
            Participating DKTK sites: Berlin, Frankfurt/Mainz, and Heidelberg
 

• Predictive biomarker for adjuvant immunotherapy (IMMUNED): Integrative molecular and functional analysis of tumor, tumor microenvironment and antitumor immune responses for correlation with clinical outcome of adjuvant immune checkpoint blockade in stage IV melanoma. 

            Overall Coordinator: Prof. Jürgen C. Becker, Essen
            Participating DKTK sites: Essen/Düsseldorf, Heidelberg, and Tübingen
 

• Neoantigen recognition by vaccine-induced T cells (IVAC-AN): Analysis of neoantigen distribution, presentation and recognition by vaccine-induced specific T cells. 

            Overall Coordinator: Prof. Peter Lang, Tübingen
            Participating DKTK sites: Berlin,Essen/Düsseldorf, Munich, and Tübingen
 

• Joint funding upgrade for the Ga-PSMA DKTK trial (JF-PSMA): Combined molecular and imaging-based characterization and prognostication of primary high risk prostate cancer from the multicenter 68Ga-PSMA-11 DKTK trial.

            Overall Coordinator: Prof. Matthias Eiber, Munich
            Participating DKTK sites: Dresden, Essen/Düsseldorf, Freiburg, Heidelberg, and Munich
 

• Monitoring the Immune Modulating Effects in CRAFT (MIMETIC): Monitoring the immune modulating effects of combinatorial targeted and immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment.

            Overall Coordinator: Prof. Tobias Bopp, Frankfurt/Mainz
            Participating DKTK sites: Dresden, Frankfurt/Mainz, and Heidelberg
 

• Personalized tertiary cancer prevention (PEVIDS): Impact of personalized vitamin D supplementation on the immunome and proteome of colorectal cancer patients: potential for personalized tertiary prevention. 

           Overall Coordinator: Prof. Hermann Brenner, Heidelberg
           Participating DKTK sites: Heidelberg, Munich, and Tübingen