Arbeitsgruppe Krause

Translational Radiation Oncology

Prof. Dr. Mechthild Krause

Microscopic images of a head and neck xenograft tumor model stained against stem cell markers (violett and green), hypoxic conditions (turquoise and orange), vessels (red) and nuclei (blue). Scale bar = 200 µm © DKTK Dresden

The group Translational Radiation Oncology represents the liaison between preclinical studies and the research within Clinical Radiation Oncology. In cooperation with all further DKTK partner sites (Heidelberg, Berlin, Essen/Düsseldorf, Frankfurt/Mainz, Freiburg, München and Tübingen) the focus is on high-precision technologies, including particle therapy and biological-driven individualization of radiotherapy. Considerable progress is expected from the following three major projects: Proton Therapy, RadPlanBio-Platform and Biological Individualization of Radiotherapy.

The RadPlanBio-platform (RadiationDosePlan-Image / Biomarker-Outcome-platform) was developed in Dresden. It represents a powerful IT-infrastructure for multicentric, clinical trials as well as preclinical studies adapted for the specific needs of translational research in radiation oncology.

At the University ProtonTherapy Dresden (UPTD) patients are treated since 2014 and sophisticated biological experiments are conducted at the experimental beam line. A particular advantage of proton therapy is the favorable dose distribution: Unlike photons (ultra-hard X-rays), protons do not penetrate the entire body, they stop in the target region and release most of their energy there. As a result, the healthy tissue is usually exposed to a lower radiation dose than with photon therapy. Clinical and preclinical studies intend to characterize the impact of proton radiotherapy to advance the biological treatment planning for particle therapy. For example, a mouse model to mimic contrast enhancement in late follow-up magnetic resonance imaging after radiotherapy was established using image-guided precise proton radiation of a brain subvolume. This enables the researchers to study underlying biological mechanisms and potential therapeutic interventions of radiotherapy-induced brain damage.

In the topic Biological Individualization of Radiotherapy biomarkers are investigated, which may predict the efficacy of radio(chemo)therapy, including imaging features as well as molecular and histological markers and parameters of the tumor micromilieu. The DKTK partner site Dresden leads the radiation oncology group of the DKTK (DKTK-ROG), an internationally recognized joint network, which is highly successful in establishing such biomarkers and develop them to stratify patients for certain therapy options. Additionally, predictive assays and combination therapy strategies for intervention against resistance factors are investigated using preclinical models such as xenograft tumors, tissue slice cultures and patient-derived organoids. In that field, particular attention is given to the development of methods with regard to the 3R aspect: replace, reduce and refine animal experiments.

More information can be found here.

Future projects and goals

to establish the best biomarkers as basis for radio-oncological interventions
to identify tumor diseases or subgroups of patients that profit from proton radiotherapies
to investigate biological mechanisms underlying normal tissue side effects, especially in the brain, to advance biologically driven treatment planning
to test new combination strategies for individualized radiooncology in preclinical trials using translationally relevant methods