Genomische Pathologie

Cancer genomics to understand tumor characteristics and vulnerabilities

Genomic studies have identified new mechanisms that underlie the development of cancer and revealed targets for novel therapies. In addition, systematic genomics allow us to understand the context in which cancer driver mutations occur. Together with transcriptomic and epigenetic analyses, cancer entities are nowadays classified by their molecular features. In addition to the mutated cancer cells, other cellular compartments of solid tumors, including cancer associated fibroblasts and immune cells influence the clinical behavior of cancer patients.

Our lab uses next generation sequencing approaches to characterize cancer on the genomic, transcriptomic and epigenetic level. Using integrative analyses, we try to find molecular patterns that correlate with and potentially explain the different clinical categories of patients. We aim at identifying pathways that are altered in the different compartments of the tumor, including the stroma, that provide potential new targets for intervention.

Univ.-Prof. Dr. rer. nat.--Hillmer-Axel
Univ.-Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Axel Hillmer

Leiter der AG

telephone icon +49 221 478-85643
fax icon+49 221 478-6360

Lab Members

Vanessa Richartz, technical assistant
Barbara Holz, technical assistant
Dr. rer. nat. Sascha Hoppe, postdoctoral researcher
Dr. rer. nat. Christina Ali Dousty Shahraki, postdoctoral researcher
Dr. nat. med. Sonja Meemboor, postdoctoral researcher
Dr. (PhD) Ali Yazbeck, postdoctoral researcher
Dr. med. Sebastian Michels, Else Kröner fellow & clinician scientist
Christoph Jonas, PhD student
Mohammad Ali (Shahrokh) Karimpour, PhD student
Marta Pistone, PhD student
Patrizia Pauls, MD student
Marten Wenzel, MD student
Minkyung (Rachel) Baek, MSc student
Carla Laumann, student assistant

Funding

Wilhelm Sander-Foundation: „Räumlich-transkriptomische und funktionelle Analyse der Interaktion von Tumorzellen und cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) bei Adenokarzinomen des Ösophagus“

German Research Foundation (DFG): “Esophageal adenocarcinoma: understanding the molecular basis of differential treatment response”

German Research Foundation (DFG): subproject C2 “The influence of stroma-metastasis interaction on tumor evolution” of the CRC1310 “Predictability in Evolution”

German Research Foundation (DFG): subproject C4: “Predicting molecular mechanisms of adaptation to chemoradiation therapy in cancer” of the CRC1310 “Predictability in Evolution”

Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) CompLS Round 3 – Joint Research Project: “Deep Insight - Integrating germline and somatic genetic profiles through machine learning to understand esophageal cancer etiology”, Subproject B

Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC) - project A06 - Identification of therapeutic vulnerabilities of KEAP1-mutated lung adenocarcinoma