Dr. Hao Yao, Monica Pascual Mate, Prof. Dr. Fabian Müller, Veronika Friedrich (Graduate Student), Lisa Mellenthin, Dr. Julia Scholz, Steve Genebriere, PhD, Giulia Benintende, MD; Alessia Corcione (Graduate Student)
Missing staff:
Srdjan Petkovic, Isabel Korte, MD; Christian Holtzhausen, Helena Lucius
Molecular Immunotherapy Research Group (F. Müller)
- CAR T-cell therapy for malignant and autoimmune diseases
- Targeted therapies involving the immunocompetent system and their long-term effects on the immune system
- New CAR T-cell-based therapeutic concepts
Lab Members
- Fabian Müller, MD, Principle Investigator
- Dr. rer. nat. Franziska Gsottberger, Post-Doc
- Dr. rer. nat. Hao Yao, Post-Doc
- Steve-Alexandre Genebrier, PhD, Post-Doc
- Dr. med. Julia Katharina Scholz, Physician Scientist
- Giulia Benintende, MD PhD graduate program, Physician Scientist
- Dr. med. Isabel Korte, Clinician Scientist
- Christian Holtzhausen, Clinician Scientist
- Alessia Crocione, graduate student
- Veronika Friedrich, graduate student
- Lisa Mellenthin, V-MTLA
- Monica Pascual Mate, MTA
- Srdjan Petkovic, MTLA
- Helena Lucius, cand. Med.
- Richard Pelzl, cand. Med.
Research Focus
Cell therapy has become one of the most remarkable achievements of modern hematology and oncology. As a living drug, they deliver hope to patients with previously incurable diseases including cancer and autoimmune diseases and may soon also support treatment of infectious diseases and hereditary disorders.
However, cell therapy still faces many challenges such as harsh microenvironments that prevent optimal function. Furthermore, we lack biomarker to predict which patient needs more than just a 2nd gen CAR, what co-treatment would be needed in a distinct microenvironment, or simply what cell dynamics and state of inflammation in a given patient could mean functionally for the expanding and invading CAR T cell in a patient and within a patient’s tumor microenvironment.
Leveraging our experience in the field of B cell driven inflammatory auto-immune diseases, we approach these problems from various angles such as understanding lymphoma-driven inflammation and it’s many effects on cell therapy, how to modulate this inflammation in a targeted and disease specific manner, and use this novel understanding to enhance CAR T cell therapy in fully immune competent models of aggressive and indolent lymphoma in vivo. With the central lab theme of understanding resistance to immunotherapy through translational science, we aim to improve treatment and as such, outcomes for our patients in hem, rheum, gastroenterology, and other emerging entities.
Thematic Focus
- innovativ approaches for antibody based cancer therapy
- lymphoma induced immun-modulation and impact on CAR T cells
- immunology of the tumor-micromilieu
Figure caption:
Central of our research is the understanding of the cross-talk of B cells and T cells and its effects on the tumor microenvironment, cell therapy, systemic inflammation and the sometimes lasting effects of the disease on the immune system of the patients. Based on Müller, F. Innere Medizin 66, 810–817 (2025). Doi 10.1007/s00108-025-01945-x
Selected Publications
George R, Gsottberger F, Ammon A, Wendland K, Mellenthin L, Mackensen A, Müller F. Triton X-114 and Amine-Based Wash Strategy Reduces Lipopolysaccharides to FDA Limit and Achieves Purer, More Potent Recombinant Immunotoxin. Bioconjug Chem. 2021 Apr 21;32(4):713-720. doi: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.1c00013. Epub 2021 Apr 1. PubMed PMID: 33793193.
Müller F, Cunningham T, Beers R, Bera TK, Wayne AS, Pastan I. Domain II of Pseudomonas Exotoxin Is Critical for Efficacy of Bolus Doses in a Xenograft Model of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Toxins (Basel). 2018 May 21;10(5). pii: E210.
Müller F, Cunningham T, Stookey S, Tai CH, Burkett S, Jailwala P, Stetler Stevenson M, Cam MC, Wayne AS, Pastan I. 5-Azacytidine prevents relapse and produces long-term complete remissions in leukemia xenografts treated with Moxetumomab pasudotox. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 Feb 20;115(8):E1867-E1875.
Müller F, Stookey S, Cunningham T, Pastan I. Paclitaxel synergizes with exposure time adjusted CD22-targeting immunotoxins against B-cell malignancies. Oncotarget. 2017 May 9;8(19):30644-30655.
Müller F, Cunningham T, Liu XF, Wayne AS, Pastan I. Wide Variability in the Time Required for Immunotoxins to Kill B Lineage Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Cells: Implications for Trial Design. Clin Cancer Res. 2016 Oct 1;22(19):4913-4922.
Liu X, Müller F, Wayne AS, Pastan I. Protein Kinase Inhibitor H89 Enhances the Activity of Pseudomonas Exotoxin A-Based Immunotoxins. Mol Cancer Ther. 2016 May;15(5):1053-62.
Hollevoet K, Mason-Osann E, Müller F, Pastan I. Methylation-associated partial down-regulation of mesothelin causes resistance to anti-mesothelin immunotoxins in a pancreatic cancer cell line. PLoS One. 2015 Mar 24;10(3):e0122462.
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