Immune Monitoring

The Immune Monitoring group works as a direct interface between the clinics and the Translational Radiobiology within the scope of translational research projects. Via longitudinal analyses from patients’ blood in clinical trials, we aim to determine their individual immune status and the interrelated response to the (radio-) therapy.

In this process, the immune status of patients is mainly analyzed by a detailed and standardized flow cytometry-based assay. This assay is directly performed from whole blood and allows us to differentiate and quantify up to 26 immune cell subsets as well as the activation status of the immune cells. In order to answer upcoming research questions, our assay is constantly refined and enhanced by the addition of new panels.

For further analyses apart from the analysis of the cellular immune status, we have integrated other technologies, such as a multiplex ELISA system that allows us to quantify cytokines, inflammatory mediators and other molecules from the serum of patients. In the future, further questions might be answered by the isolation of DNA or RNA from patient material and adjacent PCR analyses (digital droplet PCR or real time PCR).

The Immuno-Monitoring group is actively involved in several multicentric clinical trials. Further, numerous clinic-intern explorative and placebo-controlled trials on the immune-modulating effects of ionizing radiation are developed, planned and executed by our group. Our trials cover different tumor entities, such as head-and-neck cancer, lung cancer in different stages, high-grade brain tumors or breast cancer. Within this frame, different therapeutical concepts are examined regarding their immunological modes of action in combination with radiotherapy, such as hyperthermia or immune checkpoint inhibitors.

The longitudinal immune monitoring allows us to define predictive and prognostic biomarkers from patient blood and build the foundation for deeper, mechanistic analyses.

In addition to the longitudinal immune monitoring, we store biomaterial of the patients (serum, plasma, cell lysate etc.) in our own biobank.