Dresden

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Within the DKTK, the partner site Dresden represents the advancement of radio-oncological treatment through biologically driven individualization and technical optimization, with a strong emphasis on high-precision radiotherapy and particle therapy within innovative multimodal oncology strategies. Central to this approach is the integration of novel bio-imaging methods, radiation-specific biomarkers, and combined therapy approaches to modulate radiation response. Dresden also coordinates, together with Heidelberg, the consortium-wide RadPlanBio platform, enabling multicenter clinical and preclinical studies linked to imaging and radiotherapy planning data.

DKTK Dresden is internationally recognized as a leading site in radiation oncology. Its research activities are embedded in the long-standing local infrastructure of OncoRay, established in 2005 with BMFTR funding and serving as the core platform for translational radiation research. Since 2010, OncoRay and the Heidelberg Institute of Radiation Oncology jointly form the National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology (NCRO), providing complementary, internationally competitive expertise and technology for the DKTK. A dedicated OncoRay building, completed during the first DKTK funding period, hosts all Dresden DKTK scientists who actively participate in the Radiation Oncology program and includes a proton therapy facility with a clinical treatment room and an experimental cave for technology development and radiobiology. This infrastructure and expertise formed the basis for Dresden’s selection as a DKTK partner site and, in 2015, as the first partner site of the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT). NCT provides the clinical framework for early-phase investigator-initiated trials. Shared governance and joint platforms (RadPlanBio, DKTK BioDateHub, MASTER) ensure seamless bidirectional translation between research and clinic.

Dresden scientists are leading the DKTK Radiation Oncology Group (DKTK-ROG). A central focus of the research is on cancers of the head and neck region. The aim is to identify biological characteristics (“biomarkers”) that can help predict how well individual patients will respond to radiotherapy. Several of these biomarkers were identified in joint retrospective multicenter cohorts and are currently being validated in the prospective multicenter HNprädBio study (NCT02059668). This study represents one of the most robust prospective biomarker validation efforts in radiooncology and the results are intended to support more targeted and personalized radiotherapy in the future. In parallel, the multicenter DELPHI trial (NCT03396718, DKTK- and NCT-sites) was initiated in 2018 under the coordination of Dresden. This study examines whether, in selected patients with HPV-associated oropharyngeal carcinoma, the radiation dose after surgery can be reduced step by step without compromising treatment success. This trial is an outstanding example of translation from biomarker discovery in DKTK to clinical intervention within NCT. In addition, preclinical proton therapy trials with a particular focus on normal tissue toxicity, as well as preclinical studies investigating novel individualized combined treatment strategies, are carried out in Dresden to further optimize therapeutic efficacy and safety.

The establishment of a DKFZ branch in Dresden focusing on diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive cancer technologies further strengthens the site’s long-term role in precision oncology and translational cancer research. As part of four DZG (DKTK, DZD, DZNE, DZKJ), Dresden actively contributes to nationally coordinated translational structures. Its pioneering role in initiating the annual Joint Dresden DZG-Symposium fosters seed-funded cross-center collaborations, interdisciplinary exchange, and early career development, further strengthening the site’s ability to rapidly integrate technological and biological innovation.