Making metastases harmless

3 questions for Thomas Brabletz

Thomas Brabletz, one of the world’s leading scientists in the field of  tumor metastasis, has received 1.25 million euros of funding from the Koselleck Program at the German Research Foundation (DFG). He intends to use the funding to develop new treatments.

Prof. Brabletz, what are you currently researching?

My current research is focusing on improving our understanding of the molecular structure of tumor cells and, above all, deciphering the as yet unknown driving forces that lead to the formation of metastases. I am also exploring why some types of cancer develop resistance to treatment and lead to cancer recurring after initially successful treatment.

Why are you interested in this topic?

I am not only passionate about cancer research, I am also a qualified physician. Of course, my greatest wish would be to develop treatments that can treat aggressive forms of cancer effectively. This would give courage to patients and stop a great deal of suffering. Metastatic cancer is often currently still fatal.

Which opportunities will the Koselleck funding provide?

Around 20 years ago, I discovered that cancer stem cells can change their characteristics, thus making them very adaptable and enabling them to migrate and form new tumors in far-off organs. This funding will provide more freedom to decipher the mechanisms behind this cell plasticity. If we succeed in controlling the triggers and making those cancer cells that have a tendency for cell plasticity harmless, the survival rate of tumor patients would increase considerably.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Brabletz studied medicine at the University of Würzburg, where he also gained his doctoral degree in 1991 as well as his license to practice medicine. In 1993, he started working at the Institute of Pathology at FAU, where he was promoted to head of the Institute in 1998 and appointed adjunct professor of molecular pathology in 2003. In 2007, he was appointed professor of molecular oncology at the University of Freiburg. Brabletz has been a professor and Head of the Department for Experimental Medicine 1 at FAU since 2014 and was appointed Dean of Research at the Faculty of Medicine in 2020

This article is part of the FAU Magazin

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