Press Releases

The National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) is a long-term cooperation between the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), university medical centers, and other outstanding research partners at various sites in Germany. On February 2, 2023, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has confirmed the NCT expansion with four new sites: Berlin, SouthWest (Tübingen/Stuttgart-Ulm), WERA (Würzburg with partners Erlangen, Regensburg, and Augsburg), and West (Essen/Cologne). With the existing sites in Heidelberg and Dresden, a total of six NCT sites are now cooperating with the DKFZ with the aim of sustainably advancing state-of-the-art clinical cancer research in Germany and thereby improving the treatment outcomes and quality of life of cancer patients.

read more

Cancer immunotherapies often fail because the immune cells are paralysed by immunosuppressive conditions in the tumor. Scientists from Heidelberg, Mannheim and Tel Aviv have now shown on tissue samples from patients as well as on tumor models in mice that the functionality of the immune defence depends decisively on certain helper cells.

Joint press release of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Mannheim University Medical Center (UMM), Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD) and the German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK)

read more

Interferons represent the first line of defence against viral infections and are at the same time an important cause of the age-related loss of function of brain stem cells. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the University of Heidelberg have now shown in mice that interferon regulates the activity and self-renewal of brain stem cells throughout life: In young brains, it increases, but in the less active ageing brain, it reduces the production of nerve progenitor cells. In older age, a blockade of interferon signals could possibly slow down this process and counteract the age-related decline in brain function.

read more

With the "Česká Hlava" awards, the Czech government has been honoring the country's most brilliant minds every year since 2002 and recognizing exceptional achievements in research, development and innovation. Martina Benešová-Schäfer of the German Cancer Research Center was among the six laureates honored in 2022 at Charles University in Prague. She received the Czech Inventor Award for the development of agents for the diagnosis and therapy of prostate cancer.

read more

After infections or blood loss, the body must compensate for the loss of blood cells as quickly as possible. This has long been considered the task of the hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow. But scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now discovered in mice that a certain population of progenitor cells takes over this task: This accelerates the regeneration of the blood cells and possibly protects the stem cells from exhaustion.

read more

In our bones, specialized cells called osteoblasts are responsible for building up bone substance. A team of researchers led by scientists from the DKFZ-Hector Cancer Institute at the University Medical Center Mannheim* and the University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf has now identified an enzyme that controls the activity of osteoblasts. An agent that inhibits the activity of this enzyme reduced cancer-related bone loss and the number of bone metastases in multiple myeloma and in lung and breast cancer models in mice.

read more

Scientists from Heidelberg University Hospital and the German Cancer Research Center describe tumor cells with pacemaker function in highly aggressive glioblastomas in "Nature" / pacemaker tumor cells promote growth and resistance of the brain tumor network / Research work within the framework of the UNITE research consortium under the leadership of the Neurological University Hospital Heidelberg

read more

On December 13, 2022, the European Commission granted approval to a drug against metastatic prostate cancer whose active ingredient was developed under the leadership of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in collaboration with Heidelberg University Hospital and Heidelberg University. The drug can significantly improve the survival chances of patients. The patented invention on which the drug is based is an outstanding example of the transfer of excellent research results into clinical application, says DKFZ board member Michael Baumann.

read more

During infections, the hematopoietic system switches from normal to emergency mode. This improves the defense against the pathogens. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have now found an epigenetic switch in blood stem cells and progenitor cells of mice that can trigger the switch from one mode to the other.

read more

Scientists at Heidelberg University Hospital, the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) and HI-STEM gGmbH* have discovered a new mechanism for the self-renewal of leukemia stem cells. The study results help to better understand the aggressive course of acute myeloid leukemia.

read more