Elite Network of Bavaria - Immunotargeting of cancer (i-Target)
- Speaker: Prof. Dr. Stefan Endres
- Affiliation: Division of Clinical Pharmacology
- Funding: 2014 to 2022
Tumour diseases represent a medical, social and economic problem of increasing proportions. Early detection measures and greatly improved surgical, drug and radiotherapeutic treatments often achieve a cure in early stages. However, the prognosis for most advanced tumours remains poor. An important finding of the past decade has been that the body's own immune system can be used to treat patients. This has been impressively demonstrated by individual antibodies and brought to clinical application.
This new pillar of therapy is currently the subject of intensive scientific and clinical development. The demand for well-trained scientists in this field is growing rapidly in industry and academia. To date, there has been no programme in Germany that specifically trains prospective scientists in the preclinical development of tumour immunotherapies. Ten Bavarian university lecturers have joined forces under the leadership of Ludwig Maximilian University Munich (spokesperson Prof. Endres) to research innovative immunotherapies and train highly talented doctoral students in a competitive environment.
The training program, developed in collaboration with international experts, includes weekly seminars, quarterly workshops and annual conferences. A special feature of the program is the strong industrial participation and the formation of international collaborations as an integral part of the PhD projects.
Source: Elite Network Bavaria (Text)