CV

Publications

• An anti-CD19/CTLA-4 switch improves efficacy and selectivity of CAR T cells targeting CD80/86-upregulated DLBCL

  himeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) therapy is a potent treatment for relapsed/refractory (r/r) B cell lymphomas but provides lasting remissions in only ∼40% of patients and is associated with serious adverse events. We identify an upregulation of CD80 and/or CD86 in tumor tissue of (r/r)…

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• Noninvasive minimal residual disease assessment in relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma using digital droplet PCR

  Although several promising approaches for the treatment of relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (rrDLBCL) have been approved recently, it remains unclear which patients will ultimately achieve long-term responses. Circulating tumor (ct)DNA sequencing has emerged as a valuable tool to…

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• Mouse models of diffuse large B cell lymphoma

  Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a genetically highly heterogeneous disease. Yet, to date, the vast majority of patients receive standardized frontline chemo-immune-therapy consisting of an anthracycline backbone. Using these regimens, approximately 65% of patients can be cured, whereas the…

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• An inducible Cd79b mutation confers ibrutinib sensitivity in mouse models of Myd88-driven diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

  - In mouse models of Myd88-driven DLBCL, the presence of a Cd79b ITAM mutation results in increased BCR proximal signaling. - The increased BCR signaling activity in Cd79b-mutated models confers a selective ibrutinib sensitivity. Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common…

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• Entirely noninvasive outcome prediction in central nervous system lymphomas using circulating tumor DNA

  State-of-the-art response assessment of central nervous system lymphoma (CNSL) by magnetic resonance imaging is challenging and an insufficient predictor of treatment outcomes. Accordingly, the development of novel risk stratification strategies in CNSL is a high unmet medical need. We applied…

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• CDK9 inhibition as an effective therapy for small cell lung cancer

  Treatment-naïve small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is typically susceptible to standard-of-care chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin andetoposide recently combined with PD-L1 inhibitors. Yet, in most cases, SCLC patients develop resistance to first-line therapy andalternative therapies are urgently…

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• Multicenter development of a PET-based risk assessment tool for product-specific outcome prediction in large B-cell lymphoma patients undergoing CAR T-cell therapy

  Purpose The emergence of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy fundamentally changed the management of individuals with relapsed and refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). However, real-world data have shown divergent outcomes for the approved products. The present study therefore set…

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• Single-Center Experience of Patients with Plasma Cell Leukemia in the Era of New Therapeutics

  Introduction: Plasma cell leukemia (PCL) can occur de novo as primary PCL (pPCL), or in patients with prior diagnosis of multiple myeloma (MM) as secondary PCL (sPCL). In 2021, the diagnostic criteria have been revised, establishing a new cut-off of ≥5% plasma cells in the peripheral blood. Lacking…

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• Time-dependent cost comparison and health economic impact analysis of second-line interventions for transplant-ineligible patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma

  Objectives Novel interventions (axicabtagene ciloleucel [axi-cel], lisocabtagene maraleucel [liso-cel], tafasitamab-lenalidomide [Tafa-L], polatuzumab-rituximab-bendamustine [pola-BR]) improve clinical outcomes in second-line (2 L) treatment of transplant-ineligible patients with early relapse or…

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• Extracellular vesicles and PD-L1 suppress macrophages, inducing therapy resistance in TP53-deficient B-cell malignancies

  Genetic alterations in the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway are a frequent mechanism of resistance to chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) in B-cell malignancies. We have previously shown that the synergy of CIT relies on secretory crosstalk elicited by chemotherapy between the tumor cells and macrophages.…

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• Outcome Prediction in Patients With Large B-cell Lymphoma Undergoing Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell Therapy

  The introduction of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has led to a fundamental shift in the management of relapsed and refractory large B-cell lymphoma. However, our understanding of risk factors associated with non-response is still insufficient and the search for predictive biomarkers…

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• An Aged/Autoimmune B-cell Program Defines the Early Transformation of Extranodal Lymphomas

  A third of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) present with extranodal dissemination, which is associated with inferior clinical outcomes. MYD88L265P is a hallmark extranodal DLBCL mutation that supports lymphoma proliferation. Yet extranodal lymphomagenesis and the role of…

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• Interim FDG-PET analysis to identify patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma who benefit from treatment intensification: a post-hoc analysis of the PETAL trial

  The randomized PETAL trial failed to demonstrate a benefit of interim FDG-PET (iPET)-based treatment intensification over continued standard therapy with CHOP (plus rituximab (R) in CD20-positive lymphomas). We hypothesized that PET analysis of all lymphoma manifestations may identify patients who…

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• Active Akt signaling triggers CLL toward Richter transformation via overactivation of Notch1

  Richter's transformation (RT) is an aggressive lymphoma that occurs upon progression from chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Transformation has been associated with genetic aberrations in the CLL phase involving TP53, CDKN2A, MYC, and NOTCH1; however, a significant proportion of RT cases lack CLL…

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• Ferroptosis response segregates small cell lung cancer (SCLC) neuroendocrine subtypes

  Loss of TP53 and RB1 in treatment-naïve small cell lung cancer (SCLC) suggests selective pressure to inactivate cell death pathways prior to therapy. Yet, which of these pathways remain available in treatment-naïve SCLC is unknown. Here, through systemic analysis of cell death pathway availability…

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• Meta-Analysis Reveals Significant Sex Differences in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Progression in the Eµ-TCL1 Transgenic Mouse Model

  The Eµ-TCL1 transgenic mouse model represents the most widely and extensively used animal model for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). In this report, we performed a meta-analysis of leukemia progression in over 300 individual Eµ-TCL1 transgenic mice and discovered a significantly accelerated…

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• Tripartite antigen-agnostic combination immunotherapy cures established poorly immunogenic tumors

  Single-agent immunotherapy has shown remarkable efficacy in selected cancer entities and individual patients. However, most patients fail to respond. This is likely due to diverse immunosuppressive mechanisms acting in a concerted way to suppress the host anti-tumor immune response. Combination…

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• Altered DNA Methylation Profiles in SF3B1 Mutated CLL Patients

  Mutations in splicing factor genes have a severe impact on the survival of cancer patients. Splicing factor 3b subunit 1 (SF3B1) is one of the most frequently mutated genes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL); patients carrying these mutations have a poor prognosis. Since the splicing machinery…

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• Pericentromeric Satellite III transcripts induce etoposide resistance

  Non-coding RNA from pericentromeric satellite repeats are involved in stress-dependent splicing processes, maintenance of heterochromatin, and are required to protect genome stability. Here we show that the long non-coding satellite III RNA (SatIII) generates resistance against the topoisomerase IIa…

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• Integrative Analysis of Pleomorphic Dermal Sarcomas Reveals Fibroblastic Differentiation and Susceptibility to Immunotherapy

  Pleomorphic dermal sarcoma (PDS) is a rare malignant cutaneous tumor with an unknown cell of origin. Locally defined tumors can be treated by curative excisions, whereas advanced stages of the disease are difficult to treat, using standard regimens. We performed whole-exome sequencing on a cohort…

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• Distinct Genetically Determined Origins of Myd88/BCL2-Driven Aggressive Lymphoma Rationalize Targeted Therapeutic Intervention Strategies

  Genomic profiling revealed the identity of at least 5 subtypes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), including the MCD/C5 cluster characterized by aberrations in MYD88, BCL2, PRDM1, and/or SPIB. We generated mouse models harboring B cell–specific Prdm1 or Spib aberrations on the background of…

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• An Autochthonous Mouse Model of Myd88- and BCL2-Driven Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma Reveals Actionable Molecular Vulnerabilities

  Based on gene expression profiles, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is subdivided into germinal center B-cell–like (GCB) and activated B-cell–like (ABC) DLBCL. Two of the most common genomic aberrations in ABC-DLBCL are mutations in MYD88 as well as BCL2 copy-number gains. Here, we employ…

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• Deregulation and epigenetic modification of BCL2-family genes cause resistance to venetoclax in hematologic malignancies

  The BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax has been approved to treat different hematological malignancies. Because there is no common genetic alteration causing resistance to venetoclax in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and B-cell lymphoma, we asked if epigenetic events might be involved in venetoclax…

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• Aberrant expansion of spontaneous splenic germinal centers induced by hallmark genetic lesions of aggressive lymphoma

  Unique molecular vulnerabilities have been identified in the aggressive MCD/C5 genetic subclass of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, the premalignant cell-of-origin exhibiting MCD-like dependencies remains elusive. In this study, we examined animals carrying up to 4 hallmark genetic…

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