DKTK News and Events RSS

AI Diagnoses Brain Tumors in Minutes Instead of Weeks

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:31:00 +0000

Experts in Heidelberg have developed an AI system that can classify brain tumors with unprecedented accuracy using standard microscopic tissue sections. Using digitized standard stains, the system identifies more than 100 molecular subtypes of central nervous system tumors, delivers results within minutes, and could accelerate the diagnosis of brain tumors worldwide.

Translational research on Diabetes, Cancer, Neurodegenerative Diseases and Child and Adolescent Health – The 8th Joint Dresden DZG Symposium Goes from Strength to Strength

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 11:31:00 +0000

The German Centers for Health Research (DZG) are a group of eight research centers with institutes spread across Germany that are tasked by the German government to combat common diseases. Their shared goal is to transfer scientific research more quickly into medical practice. There are four DZG institutes in Dresden: the Paul Langerhans Institute Dresden (PLID) of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), and the German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ). On May 11th, 2026, the 8th Joint DZG Symposium took place, giving participants the opportunity to learn about the health research happening in Dresden and to foster collaborations between the local institutes of the DZG

13th Munich Cancer Retreat

Fri, 29 May 2026 11:44:00 +0000

The 13th Munich Cancer Retreat (MCR13), held on May 19-20, 2026 at the Evangelische Akademie Tutzing, once again brought together scientists, clinicians, physician scientists, and early career researchers from the DKTK partner site Munich for two days of scientific exchange and interdisciplinary networking.

Leukemia stem cells cause treatments to fail - Findings open new avenues to overcome resistance

Wed, 13 May 2026 11:52:00 +0000

Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the HI-STEM Stem Cell Institute and the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) have deciphered a key mechanism that contributes to treatment failure in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). They show that there are not just one, but four different subtypes of leukemia stem cells. This diversity could explain why one of the most important AML drugs does not work sufficiently in some patients or loses its effectiveness over time - resulting in the return of leukemia. This discovery lays an important foundation for more precise and long-term successful treatment strategies that could specifically overcome resistance mechanisms.

DKTK Berlin Symposium 2026: Exchange and new Impulses

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:09:00 +0000

The Berlin DKTK Community Meeting took place on February 27, 2026 at the Rahel Hirsch Center for translational medicine in Berlin-Mitte. Approximately 120 scientists and doctors came together to discuss the newest developments and ongoing science projects in translational research at the site.

Chaos in the lymph node promotes cancer

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:09:00 +0000

In aggressive lymphomas, inflammatory messengers reprogram the “conductors” of the immune system, causing lymph nodes structure to collapse. A team led by DKTK scientist Simon Haas describes in “Nature Cancer” this process for the first time using single-cell and spatial analyses.

Stefan Pfister honored with Thomas and Doris Ammann Prize

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 14:44:00 +0000

The University Children's Hospital Zurich and the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation have awarded the Thomas and Doris Ammann Prize to Stefan Pfister, Director of the Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Head of Department at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), professor at the Heidelberg Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University, pediatric oncologist at the Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine at Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD) and designated Spokesperson of the Cerman Cancer Consortium (DKTK) with the Thomas and Doris Ammann Prize. They are honoring him for his pioneering contributions to the research and development of new diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for pediatric brain tumors. The prize, worth 200,000 Swiss francs, will be presented to Stefan Pfister on March 12, 2026, at the University Children's Hospital Zurich.

DKFZ/NCT/DKTK HARPOON 2025

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:31:00 +0000

HARPOON is organized by the DKFZ/NCT/DKTK MASTER-team of the NCT Heidelberg and is intended to provide a platform for exchange and networking and to foster interaction between the One NCT, the DKTK, and other networks. We expect highlight talks on pioneering precision oncology activities, including recent developments in multiomics data analysis (e.g., by artificial intelligence) as well as forward and reverse translation, underlining the central role of multidimensional tumor characterization as fuel for innovative clinical trials and scientific discovery.

Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) funds joint project to improve patients’ quality of life following radiation treatment

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:21:00 +0000

What happens in the brain after radiotherapy? Why do many brain tumor patients still struggle with undesirable consequences of therapy, even years after recovery? Are there ways to prevent these and any similarly taxing, long-term consequences? An interdisciplinary consortium led by Prof. Mechthild Krause, Spokesperson at the DKTK partner site Dresden, Professor of Translational Medical Oncology at TU Dresden’s Faculty of Medicine Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology at the Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital, is delving into these complex questions with the "UncovRT" research project.

New blood marker opens up new perspectives for cancer diagnostics

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 13:51:00 +0000

Metastatic prostate cancer is currently associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. In addition, patients respond very differently to standard treatments such as hormone therapy or radiation therapy. Reliable markers that can be used to predict aggressive tumor progression and treatment success at an early stage are still largely lacking. A research team led by Prof. Anna Dubrovska and Dr. Ielizaveta Gorodetska from OncoRay – National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology has now identified a biomarker that can be measured in the blood.

DKTK Scientific Community Meeting 2026: New Impetus for Translation

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 11:49:00 +0000

On January 27, 2026, researchers from all eight DKTK partner sites convened at the BDC Meeting Space in Heidelberg for the Scientific Community Meeting within DKTK Pillar 2 “Diagnostic Innovations & Molecular Prevention.” The focus was on strategic direction-setting, new Joint Funding projects, and data-driven approaches to prevention and diagnostics based on artificial intelligence.

DZG Innovation Fund: Submit now your Expression of Interest for the Call 2027/28

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 10:27:00 +0000

The DZG Innovation Fund (DZGIF) is a joint research funding program of the German Centers for Health Research (DZG). Each call for proposals has a specific research topic. To be eligible for funding, the project must involve scientists from at least three DZG centers. The aim of the DZGIF is to strengthen networking among its members, facilitate joint research, and thereby create interdisciplinary synergies between the DZG. With the establishment of the DZGIF, the centers are pooling their expertise to facilitate and finance promising, cross-disease research ideas. In this way, the DZG aims to promote translation and advance knowledge on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of common diseases.

ERC Proof of Concept Grant awarded to researcher PD Dr. Jennifer Altomonte on virus-based cancer therapy

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 12:11:00 +0000

Turning research results into innovations: that is the stated goal of the European Research Council’s (ERC) Proof of Concept Grants. With CHECKVIR, a project that builds on ERC-funded research is being supported with around €150,000. In this project, researcher PD Dr. Jennifer Altomonte will develop a new virus-based cancer therapy.

Emmy Noether funding: €2 Million for Frankfurt Cancer Researcher

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 16:49:00 +0000

Dr. Sebastian Scheich of University Hospital Frankfurt will receive around €2 million over the next six years through the Emmy Noether Program for his research into an aggressive form of lymph node cancer, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Through this program, the German Research Foundation (DFG) supports outstanding researchers, enabling them to qualify for appointment as university professors.

ERC Consolidator Grant for Prof. Ekin Demir

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 10:55:00 +0000

Why does pancreatic cancer form synapses? This is the question that Prof. Ekin Demir aims to answer together with his research team at TUM University Hospital Rechts der Isar. He will now be able to pursue this work with the support of one of the prestigious ERC Consolidator Grants. His project is one of a total of six projects at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) that are being funded by the European Research Council (ERC) with up to two million euros each. This brings the total number of ERC Grants at TUM to 261, including 60 Consolidator Grants.

How bacteria can cause cancer: Research award for Jens Puschhof

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 14:44:00 +0000

Jens Puschhof, junior research group leader at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), receives the 2026 Research Award from the Peter and Traudl Engelhorn Foundation. The foundation honors the young scientist for his research on the influence of bacteria on the development and spread of cancer.

Pancreatic cancer forms "synapses"

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 13:39:00 +0000

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest types of tumors. A team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Munich, has discovered that pancreatic tumors exploit the body’s nervous system by forming so-called pseudosynapses. Through a specific receptor, the cancer cells take up the neurotransmitter glutamate, which drives tumor growth. The researchers now hope to identify drugs that can block this process in patients.

Awarding of the 3rd Wilko Weichert Grant

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 14:07:00 +0000

At the DKTK partner site Munich, the Wilko Weichert Grant is awarded annually for an interdisciplinary, early-career-supporting, and cross-LMU/TUM project. In 2025, the project “Investigation of therapy-induced vascular changes in glioblastoma using in situ sequencing” was rated best by the review committee. Dr. Johannes Wirth (Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of General Pathology and Pathological Anatomy of the Technical University of Munich TUM) as recipient of the 3rd Wilko Weichert Grant will receive EUR 30,000 funding for his scientific research in 2026.

Combination of two drugs effective in animal model

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 11:36:00 +0000

Researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the University Medical Center Göttingen and the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) have discovered a potential new approach to the treatment of pancreatic cancer. In this section, study leads PD Dr. Matthias Wirth and Prof. Ulrich Keller answer questions about their research findings.

DKTK Scientific Community Meeting 2025: Strengthening Collaboration

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:17:00 +0000

On October 6, 2025, around 90 researchers of the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) from all eight partner sites gathered at the BDC Meeting Space in Heidelberg for the DKTK Scientific Community Meeting on Pillar 1 − Therapeutic Innovations. The event provided in-person scientific exchange and discussion for both ongoing and new collaborative projects within the thematic DKTK Ad-hoc Working Groups of Pillar 1.