Forscherdatenbank
Prof. Dr. Barbara Wollenberg
Klinikum rechts der Isar TU München
Ismaningerstr. 22
81675 München
Programme
Exploitation of Oncogenic Mechanisms (EOM)
Cancer Immunotherapy (CI)
Übersicht
Platelets as drivers of cancer progression
Platelets can be “educated” by cancer cells. RNA sequencing of tumor-educated platelets enables blood-based pan-cancer, multiclass, and molecular pathway cancer diagnostics and thus to convey accurate information about cancer signatures. Platelets are involved in all inflammatory processes and are known to modulate the function of different cells at different sites of the human body. The main research focus covers the understanding how platelets transfer this molecular information to other cells and how they support the growth of cancer cells. Several mouse models and an in vitro organoid models flank several -omic based technologies. Our preliminary data on the isolation and characterization of human platelet-derived microparticles (PMP) reveal increased expression levels of PD-L1 in response to stimulation with inflammatory TNFa, indicating the alteration of the PMP molecular composition in response to external stimuli. Elevated platelet PMP levels are suggested to be associated with many different inflammatory diseases (e.g. malignancy) as microvesicles prepare resistance and the premetastatic niche.
Tissue-based analyses of HNSCC associated biomarkers
In collaboration with the pathology departments in Lübeck and Munich (MRI) we were able to build up several TMAs allowing us to start several biomarker analyses in solid tissues. Special interest is put in the spatial distribution of various immune cells during the course of immunotherapy, identifying molecular mechanisms of resistance. Genetic molecular analyses allows us to detect genetic diversity between primary and recurrent cancer.
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.