Scientific Focus
The Laboratory for Functional Genomics in Lymphoid Malignancies focuses on the identification and characterization of key and driver molecules in tumor cells which are of high diagnostic and/or prognostic significance. We work predominantly with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) as a model for B-cell derived malignant diseases. With experimental work and analyses performed at the UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Houston/Texas we recently discovered that gene signatures comprised of 2-13 genes identified by genome-wide expression profiling in peripheral blood leukemic cells are sufficient to predict the time to first treatment or overall survival in previously untreated CLL patients. We hypothesize that such genes and their encoded molecules play a significant role in the cellular CLL- and/or B-cell pathophysiology. We aim to further characterize the biological function of such molecules, related cellular pathways and direct or indirect therapeutic target options in established in vitro and in vivo models of CLL and/or other B-cell derived diseases.
Further, we aim to develop new diagnostically and prognostically useful assays which help to guide physicians in their clinical decision process to manage tumor- and specifically CLL-patients. Our goal here is, to translate discoveries from evolving modern high-resolution and -throughput technologies as well as new analytical methods for genome and transcriptome based studies into clinically useful assays and tools. Our work is based on tight collaborations with the German CLL Study Group (GCLLSG) and the Laboratory for Molecular Hematology and Oncology at the Department of Internal Medicine I.
Collaborations
- Lynne Abruzzo, MD PhD, Department of Hematopathology, UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
- Kevin Coombes, PhD, Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
- Prof. Dr. Karl-Anton Kreuzer, Laboratory for Molecular Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Cologne (Link)
- German CLL Study Group (GCLLSG)