Post by DKFZ German Cancer Research Center

Congratulations! #ERC Advanced Grants for Dieter Saur (#DKTK Munich/#TUM) and Aurelio Teleman (#DKFZ) to investigate pancreatic cancer immunotherapy resistance and the biology of growth control. The European Research Council (ERC) supports visionary projects in basic research through its Advanced Grants, awarded each year to outstanding, established researchers in Europe through a highly competitive process. 🔬 Dieter Saur - Evoke-PDAC #Immunotherapies are seen as a major hope in cancer treatment, but their success remains limited in #pancreatic #cancer. These tumors actively suppress immune responses in their immediate vicinity. Saur's project aims to: ·       Understand how different tumor variants build and exploit these immune "safe havens" ·       Develop models and methods to track, with spatial and temporal precision, how immune cells function within the tumor or are blocked ·       In a next step, develop approaches to ensure immune cells attack the tumor and remain active long-term The results could lay the foundation for new therapies improving survival chances for patients with this particularly aggressive cancer. Dieter Saur is DKTK Professor of Translational Tumor Research at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), based at the DKTK Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung Munich site. His research was previously funded by an ERC Consolidator Grant. 🧬 Aurelio Teleman - growth and size control Teleman, a division head at DKFZ, is addressing a fundamental question in #developmental #biology: how do animals control their #growth and #size? It is known that a specific growth-promoting signaling pathway drives growth depending on nutrient availability. Using Drosophila as a model, Teleman's team discovered that the molecule adenosine counteracts this pathway, inhibiting growth and that adenosine levels rise during food deprivation. His ERC project will investigate: ·       How adenosine levels are regulated, and which tissues are involved ·       How animals balance growth-promoting and growth-inhibiting signals in response to environmental cues Teleman hypothesizes these mechanisms are conserved across insects, and potentially relevant to growth regulation in mammals — a question his project aims to lay the groundwork for addressing. Aurelio Teleman has previously received an ERC Starting Grant and an ERC Consolidator Grant. DKFZ Press Release: https://lnkd.in/eRF3UCHH Photos: Andreas Heddergott / TUM (links) - Schwerdt / DKFZ /mg