Understanding cancer to fight it better.

Cancer cells spread so successfully in the body because they have a variety of mutations that promote their growth and spread throughout the body. We are studying the effects of these genetic changes in order to stop the spread of tumor cells as early and effectively as possible. 

Every cancer starts in a single cell. What causes this cell to degenerate into a cancer cell and eventually enables it to colonize the entire body as the disease progresses?

A look at the genetic material of tumor cells reveals that it differs from that of healthy cells in hundreds of places. This diversity of genetic mutations accounts for the plethora of mechanisms that promote the survival of cancer cells and enable them to spread throughout the body: For example, they use molecular signals to drive their growth while simultaneously subverting growth-inhibiting molecular commands. They also evade immune responses and programmed cell death and adapt their metabolism to the environment. To spread invasively throughout the body and ensure their nutrient supply, they manipulate blood vessels and use them for their purposes.

At the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), we investigate these mechanisms at the level of molecules, cells, and the organism in general. Our goal is to block the mechanisms that promote the survival of cancer cells. In this way, we want to develop strategies to prevent cancer development, to fight cancer cells and, to stop their spread in the body.

Image: DKFZ/Bestvater