11 Feb 2019 / News, People

Daniela Thommen and co-workers from the Cancer Immunology lab were awarded a 2019 Pfizer Research Prize

The researchers were honoured  for discovering a novel method for increasing the success rate of cancer immunotherapies targeting the PD-1 signaling pathway. Since 1992, the Pfizer Research Prize has been awarded annually for outstanding…

07 Feb 2019 / News, Research

Nicola Aceto and co-workers identified immune cells that enhance the metastatic potential of circulating tumor cells

The research team discovered the mechanism by which neutrophils, a specific set of immune cells, protect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the bloodstream of cancer patients. The interaction between CTCs and neutrophils is mediated by a…

25 Jan 2019 / News, Research, People

The Christofori lab discovered a novel combination therapy, which triggers a conversion of malignant breast cancer cells into fat cells.

The researchers took advantage of the property of tumor cells to adapt dynamically to changing conditions. Using two established drugs, they could re-differentiate cancer cells to non-dividing fat cells.

11 Jan 2019 / Research, People

The Aceto Lab finds that clustering of circulating tumor cells results in DNA hypomethylation and metastasis formation. These effects can be reversed by an approved drug.

The most dangerous aspect of breast cancer is the formation of metastases, which are seeded by circulating tumor cell clusters (CTC clusters). The team around Nicola Aceto has now discovered that the binding sites for stemness- and…

12 Dec 2018 / Research, People

The European Research Council awards Lukas Jeker an ERC Consolidator Grant

With the 2.4 Million Euro grant by the European Research Council, the Jeker lab will further investigate the inner workings of immune cells on a molecular level with the aim to use genetic immune cell reprogramming to develop novel…