Forscherdatenbank
Dr. Malte von Bonin
Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus an der TU Dresden
Fetscherstraße 74
01307 Dresden
Programm
Cancer Immunotherapy (CI)
Übersicht
Preclinical evaluation of immunotherapeutic strategies
Immunoediting has been recognized as a hallmark of cancer and therapeutic strategies targeting immunoevasive mechanisms have been substantially improved outcome in some malignancies. We are interested in pre-clinical evaluation of novel immunotherapeutic approaches using in-vitro and in-vivo models. One emphasis is the combination of conventional therapeutic strategies e.g. radiotherapy with immunotherapeutic approaches to enhance therapeutic efficacy.
Future Projects and Goals
We have established in-vitro and in-vivo models to determine the efficacy of a switchable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) system (UniCAR platform) to target solid malignancies. As proof-of-principle, high risk prostate cancer was shown to be amenable to cytotoxicity mediated by UniCAR T-cells. However, we found adaptive immunoevasive strategies which might mitigate efficacy of the UniCAR platform.
- Extension of the list of solid-tumors targetable by UniCAR T-cells
- Combination of the UniCAR platform with other targeted immunotherapies e.g. immune checkpoint inhibitors to counteract immunosubversive mechanisms of resistance and to further increase anti-tumor responses.
- Using external beam irradiation to modify adaptive immunoevasive mechanisms associated with activity of the UniCAR platform (immunosensitizing radiotherapy)
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.