We are delighted to announce that Varun Venkataramani (A07) has received an ERC Starting Grant from the European Research Council. Over the next five years, his project BITE (Brain Tumor Progression via Trogocytosis of the Synaptic Microenvironment) will investigate how glioblastoma cells interact with and exploit neural networks in the brain to promote tumor growth. By uncovering the molecular mechanisms that enable the cells to remodel the synaptic microenvironment, the research aims to identify new opportunities for therapeutic intervention and deepen our understanding of brain cancer biology.
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Themen
Research
- Focus A
- A01: Targeting tumor cell network communication to overcome primary and adaptive resistance in glioblastoma
- A02: Development of a specific combination therapy for histone H3-mutant pediatric glioblastoma
- A03: Deciphering resistance against targeted treatments
- A04: Elucidating tumor-associated microglia interactions in astrocytomas CNS WHO-grade 4
- A05: Predictive biomarkers for MGMT-promoter-methylated glioblastoma (2019 – 2023)
- A06: Resistance mechanisms of glioblastoma against alkylating agents and radiotherapy
- A07: Mapping and targeting neuron-tumor networks to tackle therapy resistance in glioblastoma
- A08: Personalized glioblastoma treatment guided by patient-derived tumor organoids
Research
- Focus B
- B01: Mechanisms of response and resistance to glioma-specific t cells
- B02: DNA mis-match repair regulates immune checkpoint blockade therapy in glioblastoma (2019 – 2023)
- B03: Targeting immunosuppressive programs in isocitrate dehydrogenase mutant gliomas
- B04: Impact of myeloid cells on the adaptive immune response in newly diagnosed and recurrent glioblastomas
- B05: Dissecting the response of glioblastoma and its tumor microenvironment to focused high-dose radiotherapy (2019 – 2023)
- B06: Visualization and characterization of immune responses in H3K27M mutant gliomas
Research
- Focus C
- C01: Comprehensive preclinical pharmacology testing of drugs used for glioblastoma treatment
- C02: Radiomics, radiogenomics and deep-learning in neurooncology
- C03: Imaging immune signatures of glioma response and resistance towards immunotherapy (2019 – 2023)
- C04: Metabolic signaling in glioblastoma: a spatial multi-omics approach
- C05: Overcoming glioma radio-resistance with particle therapy
- C06: Functional characterization of EGFR structural variants associated with long-term survival in glioblastoma, IDH-WT
UNITE
UNITE