DKTK School of Oncology TechTalk: Advancing liquid biopsies for monitoring and personalized tumor patient treatment (Hedwig Deubzer/Christof Winter)

Testing for genetic alterations in tumor tissue allows clinicians to identify patients who most likely will benefit from molecular targeted treatment. So-called liquid biopsies are blood tests that use DNA fragments to indicate how effective a cancer therapy is and give the opportunity to adjust it at an early stage. Within the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)-wide Joint Funding project EXLIQUID (exploiting liquid biopsies to advance cancer precision medicine) experts from all DKTK partner sites want to establish liquid biopsy approaches as a minimally-invasive tool to analyze molecular changes in circulating tumor DNA for precision medicine. Christof Winter will talk about how EXLIQUID aims to address the challenges of translating liquid biopsies into clinical routine by exploiting the diversity of their particular expertise, complementary skills and technologies. 

Hedwig Deubzer’s lab aims to accelerate transfer of liquid biopsy approaches into the clinic to overcome current hurdles in (i) therapy response assessment, (ii) minimal residual disease monitoring and (iii) actionable target identification. Their research has a central focus on defining and combining the best biomarkers and analysis methods to optimally monitor evolving disease in the patient.

PD Dr. Hedwig Deubzer is a specialized physician for pediatric oncology and hematology and aims to research liquid biopsy for the diagnosis of tumors in children and adolescents as a clinician scientist. She works at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in the Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology at the DKTK partner site Berlin.

Dr. Dr. Christof Winter is one of the coordinators of the DKTK Joint Funding project EXLIQUID. He is a physician and bioinformatician and head of the working group "Liquid Profiling and Bioinformatics" at the Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), DKTK partner site Munich. He develops blood tests that help to predict whether a cancer therapy will be successful or not.

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