https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us provides the latest news from German Cancer Research Center A key molecular mechanism drives the growth of liver cell cancer while simultaneously suppressing the body's immune response to the tumor. This has been published in the journal Nature by a team led by researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the University Hospital of Tübingen, and the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in La Jolla, California. However, the results also show that this very mechanism could help identify patients who respond particularly well to immunotherapy in the future, thus opening up new therapeutic approaches. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-edged-sword-chronic-cellular-stress.html Wed, 04 Feb 2026 11:00:10 EST news689319721 Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD), and Mannheim University Medical Center (UMM) are presenting a method that enables artificial intelligence (AI) to learn how to transfer medical image data from animals to humans. This "xeno-learning" could help make surgical procedures safer and more precise in the future—without relying on human training data. The work is published in Nature Biomedical Engineering. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-ai-animal-imaging-surgical-precision.html Mon, 26 Jan 2026 12:53:29 EST news688654381 Inflammation has to fight pathogens fast—but it can't get out of control. Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now deciphered in more detail how the organism masters this balancing act. Their work shows that cells use two different strategies to precisely control inflammatory genes and thus precisely regulate the inflammatory response. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-cells-dual-strategies-fine-tune.html Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:55:22 EST news687786901 It has only recently become known that two parallel systems of blood formation exist in the body, originating from different precursor cells. Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have developed a method to examine both systems separately in mice for the first time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-parallel-blood-formation-immune-cells.html Mon, 24 Nov 2025 16:57:03 EST news683225821 Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center and the University of Freiburg show how certain painkillers influence the iron metabolism of liver cancer cells and can thus contribute to iron deficiency and anemia in cancer patients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-painkillers-contribute-anemia-cancer-patients.html Mon, 17 Nov 2025 18:20:01 EST news682615858 Tumors are not a comfortable place to live: oxygen deficiency, nutrient scarcity, and the accumulation of sometimes harmful metabolic products constantly stress cancer cells. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-acidic-tumor-environment-survival-growth.html Thu, 09 Oct 2025 14:00:01 EDT news679155062 Since their discovery in 2004, the grid cells in the brain, which are important for our orientation, have been regarded as a kind of "GPS in the head." However, scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Heidelberg University Hospital have now shown that grid cells work much more flexibly than previously assumed. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-gps-brain-flexibly-internal.html Wed, 24 Sep 2025 12:07:04 EDT news677934422 About 5% of lung adenocarcinomas, one of the most common forms of lung cancer, are driven by a faulty fusion of two genes, EML4 and ALK. This fusion results in different variants, and until now, clinicians have treated all patients with these fusions the same way. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-alk-fusions-variants-treatment-success.html Tue, 23 Sep 2025 14:09:03 EDT news677855341 Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have collaborated with the SILVACX project group at Heidelberg University to develop a therapeutic vaccination concept that can mobilize the immune system to target cancer cells. The team showed that virus peptides coupled to silica nanoparticles can elicit effective T-cell responses against HPV-related tumors. In a mouse model, the nanoparticle-based vaccine was able to partially or completely suppress HPV-related tumors. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-therapeutic-vaccination-hpv-tumors-nanoparticles.html Tue, 02 Sep 2025 14:33:37 EDT news676042413 Cancer does not develop overnight. It can take decades for cancer‐promoting changes in the genome to eventually lead to the formation of a malignant tumor. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-method-cancer-cell-evolution-tissue.html Wed, 09 Jul 2025 15:07:45 EDT news671292460 Colorectal cancer screening programs are currently underutilized in Germany. This also applies to testing for blood in the stool. The immunological stool tests can detect tiny amounts of blood in the stool. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have investigated whether smartphone-based testing could be a meaningful alternative or supplement to traditional laboratory tests. The paper is published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-colorectal-cancer-screening-smartphone-scientists.html Thu, 05 Jun 2025 13:12:57 EDT news668347972 Many people are infected with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and most are unaware of it. However, EBV can sometimes cause cancer, and this pathogen also appears to play an important role in multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-epstein-barr-virus-body.html Mon, 19 May 2025 12:17:26 EDT news666875840 Medulloblastoma is one of the most common malignant tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) in children and adolescents. It develops in the area of the cerebellum, which is responsible for movement coordination, among other things. Medulloblastomas enlarge rapidly, often grow into surrounding tissue and can also form metastases. The wide variety of this tumor group also makes it difficult to find the right treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-childhood-brain-tumors-early-highly.html Wed, 07 May 2025 11:00:11 EDT news665825161 Acid reducing medicines from the group of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are best-selling drugs that prevent and alleviate stomach problems. PPIs are activated in the acid-producing cells of the stomach, where they block acid production. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-discovery-zinc-proteins-acid-drugs.html Thu, 20 Feb 2025 05:00:09 EST news659172122 Pancreatic cancer is fueled by connections to the nervous system. This is reported by scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine (HI-STEM) in Nature. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-pancreatic-cancer-blocked-nerves-treatment.html Mon, 17 Feb 2025 11:00:01 EST news659004841 A guardian molecule ensures that liver cells do not lose their identity. This has been discovered by researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the Hector Institute für Translational Brain Research (HITBR), and from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-guardian-molecule-cells-track-perspectives.html Thu, 13 Feb 2025 05:00:05 EST news658574161 Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and ShanghaiTech University have developed an innovative method for growing brain tumors of individual patients in the laboratory that mimics the original structure and the molecular properties of the parental tumor as closely as possible. Drug tests in this model were found to correlate very well with actual patient responses, making it a valuable method for investigating therapies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-patient-specific-brain-tumor-personalized.html Tue, 11 Feb 2025 12:51:04 EST news658500661 Glycolysis is a central metabolic pathway by which cells obtain energy from sugar. Cancer cells in particular have long been thought to depend on the energy obtained through glycolysis, a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect. Today we know that cancer cells can use energy sources more flexibly than previously thought. Even when glycolysis is blocked, they survive by obtaining their energy through the respiratory chain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-energy-tumor-cells-enzyme-blockade.html Tue, 21 Jan 2025 15:57:04 EST news656697421 If the development of blood vessels in the placenta is impaired, fetal growth retardation may result. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Mannheim Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University discovered that the correct development of functioning blood vessels in the mouse placenta is controlled epigenetically: One of the enzymes that modify gene activity using methyl groups is responsible. The researchers also observed a connection with a deficiency of this "methyltransferase" in a well-known pregnancy complication. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-epigenetic-vital-proper-placental-blood.html Tue, 14 Jan 2025 13:19:03 EST news656083141 Tumor cells circulating in the blood are the germ cells of breast cancer metastases. They are very rare and have not been propagated in the culture dish until now, which made research into therapy resistance difficult. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-mini-tumors-circulating-breast-cancer.html Fri, 03 Jan 2025 05:00:02 EST news655053002 Chromosomal instability plays a crucial role in the progression of cancer: it shapes the properties of tumor cells and drives the development of therapy resistance. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the Heidelberg Stem Cell Institute HI-STEM and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) used state-of-the-art single-cell analysis methods to analyze the cellular heterogeneity of a specific form of acute myeloid leukemia. Their data show how genetic and non-genetic factors determine the functional heterogeneity of blood cancer cells and reveal new therapeutic targets. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-chromosomal-chaos-therapy-resistance-leukemia.html Mon, 25 Nov 2024 14:07:04 EST news651766021 Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), together with doctors from the Urological Clinic of the Mannheim University Hospital, have developed and successfully tested a chatbot based on artificial intelligence. "UroBot" was able to answer questions from the urology specialist examination with a high degree of accuracy, surpassing both other language models and the accuracy of experienced urologists. The model justifies its answers in detail based on the guidelines. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-10-ai-chatbot-surpasses-accuracy-experienced.html Wed, 09 Oct 2024 17:08:05 EDT news647712481 Miniature robots on the millimeter scale often lack the strength to transport instruments for endoscopic microsurgery through the body. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) are now combining several millimeter-sized TrainBots into one unit and equipping them with improved "feet." For the first time, the DKFZ team was able to perform an electric surgical procedure on a bile duct obstruction experimentally with a robotic convoy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-10-stronger-miniature-robots-convoy-endoscopic.html Tue, 01 Oct 2024 11:28:31 EDT news647000907 Whether we are predisposed to particular diseases depends to a large extent on the countless variants in our genome. However, particularly in the case of genetic variants that only rarely occur in the population, the influence on the presentation of certain pathological traits has so far been difficult to determine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-rare-genetic-variants-affect-health.html Wed, 25 Sep 2024 05:00:01 EDT news646386901 Resting brain stem cells hardly differ from normal astrocytes, which support the nerve cells in the brain. How can almost identical cells perform such different functions? The key lies in the methylation of their genetic material, which endows these special astrocytes with stem cell properties. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-mouse-epigenetic-reprogram-astrocytes-brain.html Wed, 04 Sep 2024 11:00:01 EDT news644659261 What are the characteristics of a cancer cell that are recognized by the immune system? Knowledge of the potential target structures for the immune cells is a basic prerequisite for the development of personalized cancer immunotherapies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-validates-personalized-cancer-immunotherapy.html Thu, 22 Aug 2024 16:21:04 EDT news643562462 A new vaccine against cancer-causing human papillomaviruses (HPV) is intended to help increase the rate of HPV vaccinations, particularly in developing countries. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have developed a completely new vaccination concept for this purpose. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-vaccine-cervical-cancer-combines-prophylactic.html Wed, 14 Aug 2024 12:25:03 EDT news642857101 When the PSA is elevated: for which men is a biopsy necessary to confirm or rule out suspected prostate cancer? In a retrospective study, scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Department of Urology at Heidelberg University Hospital have shown that the combination of risk markers, systematic evaluation of MRI images and artificial intelligence (AI) can predict the risk of prostate cancer more accurately than before. A biopsy may not be necessary for men at low risk. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-prostate-cancer-ai-unnecessary-biopsies.html Tue, 06 Aug 2024 09:30:43 EDT news642155439 Glioblastomas are highly aggressive, usually incurable brain tumors. If all therapeutic options are exhausted, patients have an average life expectancy of less than two years. Now researchers from the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) at the West German Tumor Center Essen have made a surprising discovery: in the vicinity of glioblastomas, they found islands of highly potent immune cells in the neighboring bone marrow of the skull, which play a central role in defending against cancer. The new data may open up prospects for innovative therapies. On the other hand, they cast a shadow over conventional strategies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-07-glioblastomas-nearby-bone-marrow-niches.html Wed, 31 Jul 2024 05:00:01 EDT news641573508 Targeted physical training can improve the quality of life of patients with metastatic breast cancer and alleviate fatigue. This is shown by an international randomized multicenter study. In the course of the training program, which included two sessions per week over nine months, disease- and therapy-related symptoms were markedly reduced, which was associated with an improved quality of life compared to the control group. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-07-physical-quality-life-advanced-breast.html Thu, 25 Jul 2024 11:52:03 EDT news641127121