Newsroom
Here you will find MSSO's latest news and stories, interesting events as well as recent publications generated by our fellows.
12th Immunotherapy of Cancer Conference (ITOC)
March 12th -14th 2026, Munich
Two of our fellows - Charlotte Orschel and Lisa Dietz - took part in the 12th ITOC meeting in Munich.
Charlotte Orschel has given a talk on “ERBB2 signaling drives immune cell evasion and resistance against immunotherapy in small cell lung cancer”.
ITOC is a European meeting providing a global platform for translational research in the field of immuno-oncology as well as a forum for discussion of early clinical translation and to address its unique challenges.
José Carreras Leukemia Foundation supports research project of MSSO fellow Till Braun
Till Braun is leading the project “New approaches to the treatment of T-prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL)”, which is funded by the José Carreras Leukemia Foundation with €215,600 over a period of three years.
T-PLL is a rare and highly aggressive form of blood cancer that responds poorly to conventional therapies. Despite initial treatment with the frequently used drug alemtuzumab, relapse typically occurs within two years. At present, allogeneic stem cell transplantation offers the best chance for long-term survival.
The aim of the project is to gain a mechanistic understanding of CTLA4 function and its interaction with other disease-driving factors using cellular and animal models. Based on these insights, the project will evaluate a CTLA4 fusion protein designed to selectively modulate the immune system, with the goal of enabling novel therapeutic strategies for T-PLL.
News
Till Braun receives research award from the Walter Schulz Foundation
July 25th 2025, Cologne
Till Braun, who is an MSSO ABCD fellow in Cologne, was awarded with the “Forschungspreis 2024” of the non-profit Walter Schulz Stiftung.
He was honored for his groundbreaking research on the side effects of CAR-T cell therapy.
CAR-T cell therapies are among the most innovative approaches in modern cancer medicine. They involve genetically modifying the body's own immune cells so that they can specifically recognize and destroy cancer cells.
His work was published in the journal Nature Medicine in April 2025 and is considered a significant contribution to the further development of personalized cancer therapies and the handling of potential side effects of modern immunotherapies.
12th DSO-Retreat at the O.A.S.E in Düsseldorf
May 7th 2026, Düsseldorf, Germany
The Düsseldorf School of Oncology (DSO) organized the 12th DSO Retreat, which took place on May 7th, 2026 in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Guest speaker was Prof. Anke Reinacher-Schick (Director of the Department of Hematology and Oncology with Palliative Care, University Medical Center of Ruhr University Bochum).
Furthermore, doctoral students of the DSO network program launched in 2023 as well as DSO fellows presented their current state of research.
MSSO fellows and alumni also presented their research projects.
The annual DSO retreat 2026 offered the MSSO fellows a great opportunity to present and discuss their research progress at a symposium and for networking.
Upcoming Events
MSSO Retreat 2026
MSNZ symposium 2027 in Hamburg
April 22nd & 23rd 2027, Hamburg
The Mildred-Scheel-Nachwuchszentrum in Hamburg is organizing the next MSNZ networking event, which will take place in Hamburg.
Please save the date for this two-day event:
Thursday, 22 April AND
Friday, 23 April 2027
Paper in Immunity by Felix Nebeling
April 14th 2026, Cologne
Paper on “Microglia-glioblastoma crosstalk mediates glioblastoma invasion at the far infiltration zone” by MSSO fellow Felix Nebeling has now been published.
Paper in Oncoimmunology by Stefanie Höppner is out now
April 8nh 2026, Cologne
Paper on overcoming delayed immune checkpoint blockade by combining anti-PD-L1 treatment with a telomere dysfunction-inducing compound (6-thio-2ʹ-deoxyguanosine) in high-risk neuroblastoma by MSSO fellow Stefanie Höppner has now been published.
Johannes Brägelmann also contributed to this work.
The article is available through the following link: “Telomere damage enhances immunogenicity of neuroblastoma and accelerates response to anti-PD-L1 treatment”