Prof. Dr. Peter Lichter

In the great majority of cases, cancer arises as a consequence of alterations in a cell’s genetic makeup. Our work focuses on the correlation between such alterations and the formation of tumors. In addition to investigating single genes, we look at how the multitude of a cell’s genes – the genome – is involved in these processes. To this end, we develop special technologies to characterize the genome, e.g., in regard to how it is organized within the cell’s nucleus or which genes are active under different conditions. Our research activities cover three main areas:

1. Tumor genome research:

• pathomechanisms of tumor origin and development
• development of treatment strategies for patients
• identification of tumor cell markers allowing valid assumptions, e.g., concerning clinical course or susceptibility to drugs
• development of novel diagnostic tools.

• establishment of molecular profiles of tumor cells in order to identify characteristic differences in gene copy number and gene activity
• methods to elucidate the functions of candidate genes

• three-dimensional structure and ultrastructure
• dynamics
• functional architecture of the nucleus.