Research Focus

Oncology & Hematology

Area of Research

The research group establishes clinical study concepts in the field of oncology with a focus on immunotherapies and novel circulating tumor markers (e.g. tumor DNA). In addition, the group is working on concepts for the pragmatic implementation of study questions that can be integrated into clinical workflows wherever possible (Learning Health Systems).

• FOCUS Study (Immunotherapy Head and Neck Tumors)
• NeoBRAF study (neoadjuvant colon cancer study)
• PherFLOT study (perioperative system therapy in gastric cancer)
• INTEGA study (palliative immunotherapy in HER2 positive gastric cancer patients)
• Swiss Personalized Oncology (SPO) - NDS
• LIBERTY: Liquid Biopsy to Diagnose and Monitor CNS Involvement in High-risk B Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (SAKK 38/23)
• Implementation of liquid biopsies during routine clinical care in patients with advanced malignancies (LIQPLAT)

National Collaborations

• Prof. Dr. Sai Reddy, ETH Zurich
•  Dr. Obinna Chijioke, ETH Zurich
• Dr. Karoline Leuzinger, USB Basel
• PD Dr Lars Hemkens, RC2NB University and University Hospital Basel
• Dr Bram Stieltjes, University Hospital Basel
• PD Dr Matthias Matter, University Hospital Basel
• Dr Noemie Lang, Geneva
• SAKK 

International Collaborations

• Prof. Dr. Nicholas Chiorazzi, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, New York, United States
• Prof. Dr. Sebastian Kobold, LMU Munich, Germany
• Prof. Dr. Moshe Arditi, Cedars Sinai Los Angeles, United States
• Prof. Dr. Marylyn Addo, UKE Hamburg, Germany
• Prof. Dr. Julian Schulze zur Wiesch, UKE Hamburg, Germany
• Prof. Dr. Ari Waisman, University Medical Center Mainz, Germany
• Dr. Ivona Aksentijevich, NIH Bethesda, United States
• Prof Christopher Fox, Nottingham, UK
• Dr Kate Cwynarski, London, UK
• Prof Dr Gerald Illerhaus, Stuttgart, Germany
• PD Dr Elisabeth Schorb, Freiburg, Germany

- Development of IGLV3-21-R110 point mutation-specific CAR T cells for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)

- Development of novel cell therapies targeting oncogenic B cell receptor (BCR) configurations

- Targeting prohibitins and B cell receptor signaling in CLL

- Optimizing immune checkpoint therapy in Head and Neck, gastric/esophageal and colorectal cancer and overcoming resistance

- Adaptive immune repertoire profiling and analysis in health and disease using machine learning