Project Details
SFB 685: Immunotherapy: Molecular Basis and Clinical Application
Subject Area
Medicine
Biology
Biology
Term
from 2005 to 2017
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 13799719
The main focus of the research being carried out the Collaborative Research Centre are the molecular mechanisms of the T-cell mediated immune response. Investigations into such mechanisms are expected to lead to the development of clinical immunotherapies against tumours and in the treatment of autoimmune disease. The results of basic research will be transferred for application in clinical studies which will be carried out as selected, rational and innovative projects both here in Tübingen and as international collaborative research cooperations.
The starting point are the numerous studies that demonstrate the possibility of inducing immune responses against tumours. The same investigations also reveal that the induction of a specific immune response alone is not sufficient to prevent tumour growth. For this reason, the projects within the Collaborative Research Centre are particularly concerned with exploring the relevant aspects, above and beyond the antigen-MHC-TCR-interactions, that are responsible for the transfer of a specific immune response into a therapeutically effective response. In the course of planned preclinical and clinical studies, the optimal induction of a T-cell mediated immune response will be sought. In addition, the processes involved in triggering the response up to the effector phase will be examined in order to pinpoint those that enable the activated T lymphocytes to target the appropriate tissue and evoke the desired immune reaction.
The processes involved in autoimmune disease are also a major focus of interest. Here, our aim is to comprehend the mechanisms underlying the processes in greater detail in order to specifically suppress undesired immune reactions.
Immunoinformatics, a field of study which is particularly well advanced in Tübingen, will be employed in both areas and is a major advantage for our research, especially as regards the MHC/peptide interaction.
The close connection between excellent basic research and targeted applied research has been shown in practice to be highly successful. The Medical Faculty, the University Hospital and the Interfacultary Institutes in Tübingen provide a network for carrying out basic research with clinical application; as such, an ideal situation for translational research has been created.
The starting point are the numerous studies that demonstrate the possibility of inducing immune responses against tumours. The same investigations also reveal that the induction of a specific immune response alone is not sufficient to prevent tumour growth. For this reason, the projects within the Collaborative Research Centre are particularly concerned with exploring the relevant aspects, above and beyond the antigen-MHC-TCR-interactions, that are responsible for the transfer of a specific immune response into a therapeutically effective response. In the course of planned preclinical and clinical studies, the optimal induction of a T-cell mediated immune response will be sought. In addition, the processes involved in triggering the response up to the effector phase will be examined in order to pinpoint those that enable the activated T lymphocytes to target the appropriate tissue and evoke the desired immune reaction.
The processes involved in autoimmune disease are also a major focus of interest. Here, our aim is to comprehend the mechanisms underlying the processes in greater detail in order to specifically suppress undesired immune reactions.
Immunoinformatics, a field of study which is particularly well advanced in Tübingen, will be employed in both areas and is a major advantage for our research, especially as regards the MHC/peptide interaction.
The close connection between excellent basic research and targeted applied research has been shown in practice to be highly successful. The Medical Faculty, the University Hospital and the Interfacultary Institutes in Tübingen provide a network for carrying out basic research with clinical application; as such, an ideal situation for translational research has been created.
DFG Programme
Collaborative Research Centres
Completed projects
- A01 - Funktion und Ligandeninteraktion aktivierender NK-Zell-Rezeptoren des Natürlichen Killer-Komplex (NKC (Project Head Steinle, Alexander Luis )
- A02 - Influence of soluble factors released by dying cells on phagocytic cells of the innate immune system (Project Heads Lauber, Kirsten ; Wesselborg, Sebastian )
- A03 - Evasion and exploitation of innate and adaptive immunity by Staphylococcus aureus (Project Heads Autenrieth, Ph.D., Stella E. ; Peschel, Andreas )
- A04 - Regulation der Differenzierung dendritischer Zellenaus hämatopoetischen Stamm- und Progenitorzellen (Project Head Manz, Markus )
- A05 - Molekulare und funktionelle Untersuchungen zur Differenzierung und Funktion humaner dendritischer Zellen (Project Heads Brossart, Peter ; Grünebach, Frank )
- A06 - Role of mast cells in effective immune responses against tumors (Project Head Biedermann, Tilo )
- A07 - Modulation of NK-cell-mediated tumor immunosurveillance by platelets (Project Heads Kopp, Hans-Georg ; Salih, Helmut Rainer )
- A08 - Evasion of the NK cell-mediated immunosurveillance by the human cytomegalovirus (Project Heads Sinzger, Christian ; Steinle, Alexander Luis )
- A09 - The impact of Wnt receptors and other stem cell differentiation molecules as novel targets for an immune-therapeutic strategy for inflammatory bowel diseases (Project Heads Schwab, Matthias ; Wehkamp, Jan )
- A13 - A compound for prevention and therapy of inflammatory bowel diseases (Project Head Frick, Julia-Stefanie )
- A14 - Characterization and targeting of the chitinase-like innate immune protein YKL-40 (Project Head Hartl, Dominik )
- A15 - Functional characterization and therapeutic targeting of MyD88 and Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinases (IRAKs) in lymphoma and leukemia (Project Head Weber, Ph.D., Alexander )
- B01 - Computational design of personalized vaccines (Project Head Kohlbacher, Oliver )
- B02 - Proteases in the MHC class II pathway (Project Heads Kalbacher, Hubert ; Melms, Arthur )
- B03 - Structural and functional analysis of viral proteins and host receptors (Project Head Stehle, Thilo )
- B04 - Dysfunctional human antigen-specific CD8+ T cells (Project Heads Gouttefangeas, Cécile ; Pawelec, Graham )
- B05 - Checkpoints in the thymus for the control of autoimmunity: Antigen proc-essing and regulatory T cells (Project Heads Melms, Arthur ; Tolosa, Eva )
- B06 - Non-invasive in vivo imaging of the mode and sites of action of tumor-associated antigen-specific T cells (Project Heads Kneilling, Manfred ; Pichler, Bernd )
- B07 - Role of novel unusual inhibitor of NF¦ÊB proteins in inflammation (Project Head Schulze-Osthoff, Klaus )
- B08 - The regulation and biological function of C/EBPβ overexpression in ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma (Project Heads Fend, Falko ; Quintanilla-Martinez de Fend, Leticia )
- B09 - The cross-regulation of IL-4, IL-33 and IL1ß signaling balances Th2]mediated disease (Project Heads Ghoreschi, Kamran ; Yazdi, Amir Sadegh )
- C01 - Induction of tumor dormancy by tumor-specific CD4+ T cells (Project Heads Bauer, Jürgen ; Röcken, Martin )
- C02 - Individualized MHC-II-peptide vaccination in combination with adoptive T-cell transfer after lymphodepletion in malignant melanoma (Project Heads Garbe, Claus ; Schmidt, Susanne Maleika )
- C03 - NK-cell and gamma/delta T-cell mediated immunotherapy of minimal residual disease after haploidentical stem cell transplantation in pediatric patients with B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Project Heads Handgretinger, Ph.D., Rupert ; Lang, Peter )
- C04 - Induktion von CLL-spezifischen T-Zellantworten und Charakterisierung neuer CLL-assoziierter Tumorantigene (Project Head Brossart, Peter )
- C05 - T-cell epitopes for the immunotherapy of urological cancers (Project Heads Bedke, Jens ; Stevanovic, Ph.D., Stefan )
- C06 - Characterization of the T-cell response to adenovirus and cytomegalovirus for the control of infections through adoptive T-cell transfer (Project Heads Feuchtinger, Tobias ; Jahn, Gerhard J. )
- C08 - Preclinical evaluation of the anti-histone/interleukin-12 fusion protein in the humanized mouse model for the treatment of childhood sarcomas (Project Head Handgretinger, Ph.D., Rupert )
- C09 - Individual chemo-immunotherapy of peritoneal carcinomatosis (Project Heads Königsrainer, Alfred ; Löb, Stefan ; Rammensee, Hans-Georg )
- C10 - Development of therapeutic antibodies for the elimination of tumor stem cells (Project Heads Bühring, Hans-Jörg ; Große-Hovest, Ludger ; Jung, Gundram )
- C11 - Generation of functional CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell populations targeting selected tumor antigens for adoptive T-cell transfer (Project Head Feuchtinger, Tobias )
- C12 - Analysis of immune signatures and tumor-specific antigens for the development of individualized immunotherapy of esophageal adenocarcinoma (Project Heads Königsrainer, Alfred ; Zieker, Derek )
- C13 - Senescence surveillance in the liver-mechanistic dissection and therapeutic development (Project Head Zender, Lars )
- C14 - Preparative steps for the development of multipeptide vaccines for patients with ovarian cancer (Project Heads Rammensee, Hans-Georg ; Staebler, Annette )
- MGK - Integrated Research Training Group "Immunotherapy" (Project Heads Frick, Julia-Stefanie ; Hartl, Dominik )
- Z02 - Zellsortierung (Project Head Bühring, Hans-Jörg )
- Z03 - Administration and Central Tasks (Project Head Rammensee, Hans-Georg )
- Z05 - Immunomonitoring (Project Head Gouttefangeas, Cécile )
Applicant Institution
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
Participating Institution
Robert Bosch Gesellschaft für medizinische Forschung mbH
Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch-Institut für Klinische Pharmakologie (IKP)
Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch-Institut für Klinische Pharmakologie (IKP)
Spokesperson
Professor Dr. Hans-Georg Rammensee