Peter Krammer’s research, which was often in collaboration with his long-time co-worker, Klaus Michael Debatin, has provided the key to understanding a signaling pathway that triggers the death program, apoptosis, in many cells. The molecular message received by cells from their cell surface receptor CD95 regulates a multitude of important life processes. Apoptosis eliminates cells that have fulfilled their tasks, have become dispensable in the course of embryonic development, or have defects in their genetic material.
However, many diseases are a result of dysregulated CD95 signals causing “too much" or “too little" of programmed cell death. Thus, too much apoptosis is responsible for the self-destruction of tissues in autoimmune diseases and destroys brain cells after a stroke. In cancer, by contrast, programmed cell death fails or does not function sufficiently. On the contrary: in many tumors, growth is even promoted by CD95 signals.
Peter Krammer was able to develop a substance that interferes with CD95 signaling. It is being tested for treating conditions whose symptoms are caused by too much cell death. Its use against malignant brain tumors to slow down cell division and invasive tumor growth is already in the clinical trial stage. “My motivation in my work has always been to achieve more than scientific success by making a contribution to the fight against cancer," says Peter Krammer.
Medical researcher Peter Krammer joined DKFZ in 1976. Since 1989, he has been head of the Immunogenetics Division. For his outstanding research he has been honored with many distinctions in Germany and in other countries.
His publications are among the most frequently cited in the life sciences area.
Deutsche Krebshilfe (German Cancer Aid) has awarded its €10,000 prize annually since 1996. Award winners of recent years have included lymphoma expert Volker Diehl, genome researcher Peter Lichter of DKFZ, and Harald zur Hausen, who later received the Nobel Prize.
A picture of Peter Krammer for this press release is available at: www.dkfz.de/de/presse/pressemitteilungen/2012/images/krammer-krebshilfepreis.jpg Picture source: Tobias Schwerdt, DKFZ