Address
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69120 Heidelberg
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
Outstanding Achievements Recognized with Thomas and Doris Ammann Prize
CAREERSStefan Pfister (C01) has been awarded the Thomas and Doris Ammann Prize. His research has uncovered multiple previously unrecognized genetic alterations that drive the development of various pediatric brain tumor types. These include mutations that reveal new therapeutic targets, as well as genetic changes that point to an inherited predisposition to cancer. Together, these discoveries have substantially deepened the understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying childhood brain tumors and have paved the way for more precise, individually tailored treatment approaches.
In previous years, his exceptional scientific contributions have also been recognized with several prestigious honors, including the German Cancer Award (2013), the Léopold Griffuel Award (2021), the Baden‑Württemberg State Research Award (2022), and the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foundation (2023).
Distinguished Achievement: MTZ Award for Systems Medicine 2026
CAREERSDirk Hoffmann (A03) has been awarded the MTZ Award for Systems Medicine 2026 in recognition of his outstanding research on malignant brain tumors. His work provides important impulses for the development of novel therapeutic strategies against glioblastomas. His research focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of glioblastoma, with particular emphasis on tumor heterogeneity, therapy resistance, and the identification of new biomarkers and targeted therapeutic approaches. During his doctoral studies, he investigated the communication and oncogenic properties of glioblastoma cells that are interconnected through tumor microtubes—an essential mechanism underlying therapy resistance. By combining single-cell–resolved and bulk multi‑omics analyses, he deciphered the molecular profile of these cellular networks and derived a network signature that was validated as a prognostic biomarker across several independent patient cohorts and is currently being evaluated in prospective clinical studies. In addition, his research is closely integrated with clinical trials on molecularly targeted therapeutic strategies, in which he identifies and validates prognostic and predictive biomarkers through retrospective multi‑omics analyses.
The MTZ Award for Systems Medicine, presented by the independent MTZ Foundation under the patronage of the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), is among the most prestigious German early‑career awards in medical systems biology and systems medicine. It honors exceptional dissertations that apply interdisciplinary approaches to investigate complex biological systems using molecular‑genetic, clinical, mathematical, or computational methods.
Dirk Hoffmann is also the recipient of the Richtzenhain Doctoral Prize (2025), in recognition of his outstanding doctoral thesis.
Honoring Exceptional Advances in Molecular Neuro‑Oncology: German Cancer Prize 2026
CAREERSFelix Sahm (A06) is one of the recipients of the German Cancer Prize in the Translational Research Category. The Prize is awarded annually by the German Cancer Society and the German Cancer Foundation and is considered one of the highest distinctions in oncology. Sahm is recognized for his leading contributions to the molecular classification of brain tumors, particularly through the development of integrated diagnostic frameworks that combine DNA methylation profiling, genomic alterations, and computational analysis. These classification systems have substantially improved diagnostic accuracy across tumor entities, refined prognostic stratification, and enabled more biologically informed therapeutic decision‑making.
Felix Sahm’s other scientific awards include the EANO Research Award (2025) and the Paul-Kleihues-Prize (2013).
NEWSLETTER 06/2026
NEWSLETTERDear Members and Friends of UNITE,
We are happy to share recent highlights, including a recap of our retreats, seminar series and the latest updates from research. This edition also features a curated overview of upcoming UNITE events and Travel grants, alongside short introductions to the newest members of the UNITE staff.
We hope you enjoy reading the latest news and look forward to the continued progress we’ll achieve together!
Best wishes,
UNITE Project Management Team
UNITE _Newsletter_ 6
NEWSLETTER 04/2025
NEWSLETTERDear Members and Friends of UNITE,
We are happy to share recent highlights, including a recap of our seminars, the UNITE & Fellow Retreat, and the
latest updates from our team. In this edition, we also invite you to apply for the upcoming travel grants, provide an
overview of upcoming workshops and UNITE events, and introduce new members of the UNITE staff.
We hope you enjoy reading the latest news and look forward to the continued progress we’ll achieve together!
Best wishes,
The UNITE Project Management Team
UNITE_Newsletter_4
Newsletter 03/2024
NEWSLETTERIn our 3rd UNITE Newsletter, we take a look back at our previous UNITE Workshops and Seminars. Our 1st UNITE Specialized Workshop on Biostatistics & Bioinformatics took place in April, where D02 gave basic insights to our fellows and showed them essential skills for analyzing their research data. Also in our Seminar Series we had another inspiring talk by Pieter Wesseling and our inaugural GENDER & DIVERSITY LUNCH TALK has kicked-off.
With this new issue we have also added two new sections: the section New Fellows will regularly introduce new UNITE members to our consortium. Additionally, we have added a section Events @Campus HD, that provides information on events organized by other institutions and initiatives on our campus.
We wish you a great time and hope you enjoy reading our latest UNITE Newsletter!
Best wishes,
The UNITE Project Management Team
UNITE_Newsletter_3
Newsletter 02/2024
NEWSLETTERDear Members and Friends of UNITE,
We are happy to provide you with our 2nd UNITE Newsletter today!
The start of our second funding phase was less than a year ago, but we can already look back on many scientific and personal highlights. We are excited to share some of these with you today.
Moreover, we will give you an overview of upcoming workshops and UNITE Events and provide further information on the UNITE travel grants. Stay tuned and enjoy reading the UNITE Spring Edition of our Newsletter!
Best wishes,
The UNITE Project Management Team
UNITE_Newsletter_2
A CLINICALLY APPLICABLE CONNECTIVITY SIGNATURE FOR GLIOBLASTOMA INCLUDES THE TUMOR NETWORK DRIVER CHI3L1
RESEARCHResearch findings related to UNITE work package A01/A03/A06/A07/ B04/D01
Tumor microtubes (TMs) connect glioma cells to a network with considerable relevance for tumor progression and therapy resistance. However, the determination of TM-interconnectivity in individual tumors is challenging and the impact on patient survival unresolved. Here, we establish a connectivity signature from single-cell RNA-sequenced (scRNA-Seq) xenografted primary glioblastoma (GB) cells using a dye uptake methodology, and validate it with recording of cellular calcium epochs and clinical correlations. Astrocyte-like and mesenchymal-like GB cells have the highest connectivity signature scores in scRNA-sequenced patient-derived xenografts and patient samples. In large GB cohorts, TM-network connectivity correlates with the mesenchymal subtype and dismal patient survival. CHI3L1 gene expression serves as a robust molecular marker of connectivity and functionally influences TM networks. The connectivity signature allows insights into brain tumor biology, provides a proof-of-principle that tumor cell TM-connectivity is relevant for patients’ prognosis, and serves as a robust prognostic biomarker.
Link to Publication
AUTONOMOUS RHYTHMIC ACTIVITY IN GLIOMA NETWORKS DRIVES BRAIN TUMOR GROWTH
RESEARCHResearch findings related to UNITE work package A01/A03/A06/A07/B06/D01
Diffuse gliomas, particularly glioblastomas, are incurable brain tumours. They are characterized by networks of interconnected brain tumour cells that communicate via Ca2+ transients. However, the networks’ architecture and communication strategy and how these influence tumour biology remain unknown. Here we describe how glioblastoma cell networks include a small, plastic population of highly active glioblastoma cells that display rhythmic Ca2+ oscillations and are particularly connected to others. Their autonomous periodic Ca2+ transients preceded Ca2+ transients of other network-connected cells, activating the frequency-dependent MAPK and NF-κB pathways. Mathematical network analysis revealed that glioblastoma network topology follows scale-free and small-world properties, with periodic tumour cells frequently located in network hubs. This network design enabled resistance against random damage but was vulnerable to losing its key hubs. Targeting of autonomous rhythmic activity by selective physical ablation of periodic tumour cells or by genetic or pharmacological interference with the potassium channel KCa3.1 (also known as IK1, SK4 or KCNN4) strongly compromised global network communication. This led to a marked reduction of tumour cell viability within the entire network, reduced tumour growth in mice and extended animal survival. The dependency of glioblastoma networks on periodic Ca2+ activity generates a vulnerability that can be exploited for the development of novel therapies, such as with KCa3.1-inhibiting drugs.
LINK TO PUBLICATION
CANCER NEUROSCIENCE: STATE OF THE FIELD, EMERGING DIRECTIONS
RESEARCHResearch findings related to UNITE work package A01/A03/A07/B01
The nervous system governs both ontogeny and oncology. Regulating organogenesis during development, maintaining homeostasis, and promoting plasticity throughout life, the nervous system plays parallel roles in the regulation of cancers. Foundational discoveries have elucidated direct paracrine and electrochemical communication between neurons and cancer cells, as well as indirect interactions through neural effects on the immune system and stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment in a wide range of malignancies. Nervous system-cancer interactions can regulate oncogenesis, growth, invasion and metastatic spread, treatment resistance, stimulation of tumor-promoting inflammation, and impairment of anti-cancer immunity. Progress in cancer neuroscience may create an important new pillar of cancer therapy.
LINK TO PUBLICATION