Blood Cancer Biology and Immunotherapy

The mission of our research group is to advance the understanding of blood cancer biology and contribute to improved therapy strategies. We are particularly interested in immunotherapies, such as allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and adoptive T cell transfer. To achieve our goal, we explore how cancer and immune cell metabolism orchestrate tumor progression and the tumor-immune cell crosstalk. We believe that identifying and exploiting metabolic vulnerabilities in cancer will become a powerful therapeutic approach. Furthermore, we leverage (patho-)physiological metabolic processes to improve the safety of tumor immunotherapies. 

Regenerative Angiogenesis

Our research aims at promoting vascular growth for tissue repair, in particular skeletal muscle and bone, combining expertise on mesenchymal progenitor cell biology and vascular biology. We focus on: 1) elucidating the basic mechanisms governing the growth of blood vessels under therapeutically relevant conditions, and 2) translating these concepts into rational regenerative medicine approaches, to restore blood flow in ischemia and to regenerate vascularized tissues. Core competences are the combination of stem cell therapy and gene therapy, as well as engineering of controlled signaling microenvironments by factor-decorated smart biomaterials. As angiogenesis plays a role in a variety of disease areas, the elucidation of basic mechanisms of vascular growth leads to relevant insights for cancer biology and the metastatic process, as well as for the generation of in vitro organoid models.

Computational Biology Group 

Our research includes the analysis, integration, and interpretation of molecular profiles of cancer cell populations and patient cohorts. We develop methods for single-cell genomics and transcriptomics data from tumor cells, for reconstructing their evolutionary history, and for data integration across various single-cell technologies. These methods can improve patient outcomes by enabling early detection and diagnosis, by forecasting tumor evolution, and by facilitating the development of personalized treatment plans tailored to individual genetic and clinical profiles. 

Ovarian Cancer Research

Our group investigates gynaecological cancer biology, with a focus on ovarian cancer, to improve patient outcomes through precision oncology. We aim to understand the biological mechanisms that drive peritoneal dissemination, particularly how ovarian cancer cells interact with and remodel the microenvironment during metastasis. Building on these insights, we also integrate comprehensive tumor profiling, functional drug testing, and molecular tumor boards to develop personalized treatment strategies that directly inform prospective clinical trials.

Brain Tumor Immunotherapy and Biology

Our research group focuses on advancing the understanding and treatment of malignant adult brain tumors, with a particular emphasis on glioblastoma. We investigate how the tumor microenvironment, especially microglia and macrophages, drives tumor progression and therapy resistance. Our work aims to identify actionable targets within tumor–immune interactions to improve immunotherapeutic strategies. A key focus is the development of innovative approaches such as engineered CAR-T cells that both target tumor cells and modulate innate immune responses in the brain. By bridging preclinical research and translational clinical trials, we strive to bring novel, more effective therapies to patients. 

Katapodi Research Group

The mission of our group is to understand how a cancer diagnosis affects the individual and their family and how the healthcare system responds to cancer-related unmet needs to improve morbidity and mortality. We focus on exploring and promoting primary-, secondary-, and tertiary- prevention pathways at the individual, family, and healthcare system level, especially for families with a genetic predisposition to cancer i.e., hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and Lynch syndrome.  To achieve our goals we leverage digital health communication and AI-driven solutions, which we test rigorously in well-designed observational and intervention studies.

Cancer Immunotherapy Lab

Our group studies how glycans and their receptors, especially Siglecs, influence immune responses in cancer. By targeting glycan-mediated pathways, our objective is to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapies, such as checkpoint inhibitors and adoptive T cell therapies. Our work bridges basic glycoimmunology with translational approaches to improve patient outcomes. 

Translational Genitourinary Cancer Research

Relying on a strong connection with the clinic, the Translational Genitourinary Cancer Research group combines both basic and translational research, with the long-term goal of impacting the management and treatment of prostate cancer and bladder cancer. In particular, our research relies on the establishment of patient-derived organoids (PDOs) which faithfully recapitulate molecular and cellular features of the patients' tumor they are originating from and emulate clinically relevant molecular subtypes of advanced cancer. Using molecular and phenotypic assays, single-cell technologies, and drug screens, we aim to exploit these PDO models to elucidate mechanisms driving cellular plasticity, tumor progression and treatment resistance. 

Childhood Leukemia Group

Acute leukemia is the most common cancer during childhood, accounting for more than one third of all pediatric malignancies. Although current treatment strategies for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) can cure the majority of the patients, prognosis remains poor for certain patient subgroups, such as infants under one year of age and children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in which the tumor cells carry particular genetic lesions such as KMT2A or GLIS2 fusion oncogenes. The development of novel therapeutic strategies that specifically target the molecular mechanisms of malignant transformation of leukemic cells has the potential to improve outcomes while reducing treatment-related toxicity. Achieving this goal requires a detailed understanding of the critical molecular mechanisms that induce and maintain the leukemic phenotype. We developed and use various models that help us to experimentally address this challenging question in genetically heterogeneous but aggressive form of human cancer. 

Cancer and Immunobiology

We aim to elucidate lipid kinase signalling in physiology and disease. Our focus highlights processes driven by two members of the so-called phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) class 1 enzymes that are activated by cell surface receptors: PI3Kalfa operates downstream of growth factor receptors, is frequently over-activated and mutated in tumours, and thus drives cell growth, proliferation and metastasis. Targeting PI3Kalfa is remains challengin due to the role of PI3Ks in glucose homeostasis, which requires novel pharmacological principles. Here we explore the action of proprietary, highly specific covalent PI3Kalfa inhibitors. 
In contrast, PI3Kgamma is activated by GPCRs and controls chronic inflammation and allergy. PI3Kgamma forms two complexes out of the catalytic p110gamma subunit and two non-redundantly functioning p84 and p101 adapters. Genetic and pharmacological models illustrate that the above PI3Ks are complex nodes in various organs, and contribute to cancer, inflammatory, cardiovascular and allergic disease involving multi-organ interactions.

Zampieri Lab – Systems Pharmacology and Biology of Metabolism

The mission of the group is to understand fundamental mechanisms allowing short- and long-term metabolic adaptation to genetic, environmental and chemical perturbations. To this end, we develop new ways of combining state-of-the-art high-throughput technologies in metabolomics with mathematical modelling. 
By mapping chemical genetic interactions through the lenses of metabolomics, we aim at developing new scalable approaches able to unravel disease mechanisms and enhance traditional drug discovery approaches to enable finding new and unconventional therapeutic strategies, from antibacterial to anticancer drugs.

Molecular and Computational Hematology-Immunology

Our research focuses on how cancer cells interact with the stromal and immune microenvironment and how these interactions regulate cell state, plasticity, and response to therapy, mostly applied to blood cancer. We integrate single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, functional cellular models, and computational modeling to identify targetable mechanisms of therapy resistance. In parallel, we investigate how anti-cancer therapies perturb the hematopoietic system and its niche, contributing to hematotoxicity and altered tissue homeostasis. Where appropriate, we complement these approaches with functional and scalable screening strategies to probe regulators of therapeutic response and toxicity.

Cancer Immunology

The Laboratory of Cancer Immunology (Alfred Zippelius) studies mechanisms of response and resistance to cancer immunotherapy, with a focus on immune checkpoint blockade and next-generation immunotherapy combinations. We integrate patient-derived platforms, murine models, and single-cell/spatial profiling to reinvigorate dysfunctional immune cells in the tumor microenvironment and to identify pathways and actionable targets that enable durable anti-tumor immunity.