Research Group Markus G. Manz, M.D.

Keywords

Hematopoietic Stem Cells, Hematopoiesis, Hematopoietic Ageing, Hematopoietic Stem Cell Malignancies, Immunotherapy of Cancer

Aims

We aim to gain knowledge on healthy and malignant hematopoietic stem cells in order to develop new medical interventions for prevention and cure of hematopoietic stem cell disease.

Overview

Cancer cells derive from healthy tissue cells by a process called malignant transformation. Also, cells from the tissue-microenvironment support cancer in a soil and seed interplay. In order to understand and interfere with pathological states as cancer, we need to understand tissue homeostasis, tissue stress-reactions and tissue-repair, as well as tissue-vulnerability to various stressors. The process of ageing is associated with higher proliferative history and ageing-associated, repetitive inflammatory damage-reactions, which are possible initiators as well as supporters of malignant transformation.

As most cancers, also malignancies derived from hematopoietic stem cells, the lifelong self-renewing and regenerating cellular founder-population of the hematopoietic and immune system, occur mostly in context of ageing. In our basic, preclinical and clinical research, we focus on physiology and pathophysiology of hematopoietic stem cells and the bone marrow environment. Our aim is to dissect elements of hematopoietic stem cell ageing and malignant transformation. By using gained knowledge from this research and by re-designing immunological principles, we try to develop means in order to more specifically and efficiently treat hematopoietic stem cell diseases, such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).