The cell biologist Prof. Dr. Chris Sander at Harvard Medical School (USA) is a world leader in the field of computer-assisted cancer research and one of the founders of perturbation biology - an area that aims to predict the reactions of cells to certain disturbances using computer simulations. His new research group in Berlin hopes to use single cell analysis to assess the efficacy of drugs in the treatment of different tumours and to improve their individual effectiveness. In order to do this, organoids will be produced from tissue samples of cancer patients, their treatment options analysed and simulated on the level of single cells. Here, the renowned scientist is working closely with bioinformatician Prof. Dr. Nils Blüthgen from the Institute of Pathology at the Charité and IRI Life Sciences and cell biologist Prof. Dr. Markus Landthaler from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine.

The second group is headed by Prof. Rogier Versteeg from the Department of Oncogenomics at the University of Amsterdam. He is a laureate of the European Research Council (ERC Advanced Grant). Together with Einstein Professor Dr. Angelika Eggert, Director of the Clinic for Paediatrics at the Charité with a focus on oncology and haematology, he hopes to be able to take an important step in the field of neuroblastoma research by developing a combination therapy against adaptable cancer cells. The researchers use modern medical technologies such as high-throughput sequencing as well as 3D organoids.

In addition to the newly formed groups, the Einstein BIH Visiting Fellows will continue to finance four other working groups that have already been supported by the Charité Foundation over the past three years.

Background:
With the support of Einstein BIH Visiting Fellows, leading personalities from renowned universities abroad will be invited to Berlin for a limited period of time in order to set up working groups on current life science research topics. They work with hosts of the Berlin Institute of Health (short: BIH), the Charité and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine.

Source and further information:
https://www.stiftung-charite.de/fileadmin/user_upload/stiftungcharite/Presse/PM2019_09-01_NeueIdeenKrebsforschung.pdf