Immune Microenvironment

The D170 Microenvironment Team focuses on identification of immunotherapeutic targets within the central nervous system microenvironment with the goal to enhance the reactivity of the patient’s immune system against malignant brain tumors. Preclinical models as well as clinical samples of primary brain tumors and autoimmune encephalomyelitis are used to decipher cellular mechanisms of immune regulation within the CNS. Main research topics include the role of tumor blood vessels for activation, transmigration and effector function of antigen-specific T cells, the impact of kynurenine pathway metabolites and aryl hydrocarbon receptor signaling on tumor immunity as well as the development of immunotherapeutics for histone-3 mutant midline gliomas.

• Vascular control of tumor immunity in the CNS 
• The role of CXCL10 in the immune regulation of melanoma and glioma 
• Impact of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) signaling on immunity & AHR inhibitor development 
• Advancing neoepitope-specific vaccines in Neurooncology 
• A MultIceNTer PhasE I RNA VaCcine Trial to Exploit NeoePitope-Specific T Cells for the Treatment of H3.3-Mutated Gliomas – INTERCEPT H3.3

• Katharina Sahm, MD - Team leader
• Nirmeen Elmadany, PhD
• Isabelle Bernhardt, MD student
• Kristine Jähne - Technical Assistance

• Sonner JK, Keil M, Falk-Paulsen M, Mishra N, Rehman A, Kramer M, Deumelandt K, Röwe J, Sanghvi K, Wolf L, von Landenberg A, Wolff H, Bharti R, Oezen I, Lanz TV, Wanke F, Tang Y, Brandao I, Mohapatra SR, Epping L, Grill A, Röth R, Niesler B, Meuth SG, Opitz CA, Okun JG, Reinhardt C, Kurschus FC, Wick W, Bode HB, Rosenstiel P, Platten M. Dietary tryptophan links encephalogenicity of autoreactive T cells with gut microbial ecology. Nat Commun. 2019 
• Ochs K, Ott M, Bunse T, Sahm F, Bunse L, Deumelandt K, Sonner JK, Keil M, von Deimling A, Wick W, Platten M. K27M-mutant histone-3 as a novel target for glioma immunotherapy. Oncoimmunology. 2017 
• Sahm K, Kessler T, Eisele P, Ratliff M, Sperk E, König L, Breckwoldt MO, Seliger C, Mildenberger I, Schrimpf D, Herold-Mende C, Zeiner PS, Tabatabai G, Meuth SG, Capper D, Bendzus M, von Deimling A, Wick W, Sahm F, Platten M. Concurrent gliomas in patients with multiple sclerosis. medRxiv 2022
• Zhang X-W, Huck K, Jähne K, Cichon F, Sonner JK, Ufer F, Bauer S, Woo MS, Green E, Lu K, Kilian M, Friese MA, Platten M, Sahm K: Activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein/activity-regulated gene 3.1 (Arc/Arg3.1) enhances dendritic cell vaccination in experimental melanoma. Oncoimmunology. 2021