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Focus on cell and immunotherapies against cancer in children

Prof. Dr. Tobias Feuchtinger has been Medical Director of the Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg since 1 September 2023. After completing his studies and specialist training, Feuchtinger initially conducted research at the Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen before heading the Pediatric Oncology Department at the Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich from 2015. At the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Feuchtinger researches new therapeutic approaches and works with an interdisciplinary team to treat infants, children and adolescents with cancer and diseases of the blood and immune system. He succeeds Prof. Dr. Charlotte Niemeyer, who has headed the clinic since 2001.

Using the immune system in the fight against cancer

Feuchtinger's research focuses on the immune system's reactions to cancer in children. "In pediatric oncology, we already have very effective chemotherapies that help the majority of sick children and adolescents to recover in the long term," says the pediatric oncologist. For those for whom this does not work, immunotherapies can be a life-saving alternative. They enable the body's own immune system to recognize cancer cells and destroy them on its own with the help of so-called CAR-T cells that have been specifically modified in the laboratory.

Targeted support for the immune system

In certain forms of leukemia, a stem cell transplant is an important therapy in which the diseased bone marrow is destroyed and healthy donor stem cells are transferred. However, the defense mechanisms of the recipient's immune system must be specifically suppressed. Feuchtinger is therefore researching a parallel transfer of virus-specific T cells from the blood of healthy stem cell donors, which would create an immune defense against individual viral infections.

"My goal is to develop new cell and immune therapies for children with cancer. We are working on this at all levels: from basic research to preclinical models and approval studies," says Feuchtinger. "We want our young patients to benefit from the latest, reliable findings as quickly as possible."

Caption: Prof. Dr. Tobias Feuchtinger has been Head of the Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg since September 2023.
Image source: Medical Center - University of Freiburg / Britt Schilling