PD Dr. med. Hedwig Deubzer

Scientific scope

The Deubzer lab conducts basic and translational research centered around advancing diagnostics and therapeutics to treat children with high-risk cases of neuroblastoma. We focus on mechanisms that drive uncontrolled proliferation, mediate therapy resistance, block neuronal differentiation and promote the invasion-metastasis cascade by applying systems biology concepts to a solid basis of high-throughput molecular profiling data. Preclinical neuroblastoma models include primary neuroblastoma cell cultures, organoids and patient-derived xenografts. All research projects are directed towards providing a basis for decision-making in the rational development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma patients. Drug development aspects addressed include target identification, proof of concept, tumor selectivity, extended target validation, biochemical and mechanistic cell-based assay development.

Future directions

A primary focus in the Deubzer lab is to create an innovative liquid biopsy diagnostics platform for the complementary analysis and molecular characterization of circulating tumor cells, cell-free nucleic acids and extracellular vesicles from biofluids as a minimally invasive alternative to sequential surgical biopsies. The research is aimed towards a long-term goal for clinical implementation of personalized care for pediatric cancer patients that can improve cure rates for high-risk cases, who have little chance of cure with current treatment protocols.