The elucidation of molecular pathomechanisms in tumor development represents the prerequisite i) to understand the biological behavior of tumors and ii) to identify molecular markers and signatures of diagnostic and prognostic value that allow stratification of patients for risk-adapted therapy decisions.
My research work focusses on the analysis of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas. During the past years it resulted in the isolation of several genes (i.a. ATM) that are involved in the pathogenesis of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and mantle cell lymphoma. Currently, my work in the research group of the Institute of Clinical Pathology concentrates on the molecular pathogenesis of follicular lymphoma (FL). FL, one of the most common lymphomas in adults in Western countries, is an incurable disease, and its pathogenesis is only partly understood. Because of its highly variable clinical course the treatment of FL is one of the most controversial topics in oncology. The aim of our current study is to develop an accurate gene expression-based survival model for patients with FL that is applicable in a routine diagnostic setting to stratify the patients for risk-adapted therapy. For this purpose, the expression of genes (selected on the basis of microarray expression data) will be analyzed and correlated with clinical data. In a further study, we are investigating the molecular pathomechanisms of malignant mesotheliomas (genomic abberations; structural, epigenetic alterations and expression of candidate genes). This study is aimed at the isolation of i) pathogenically relevant alterations and ii) diagnostic markers that allow for the molecular distinction between mesotheliomas and other tumors residing in the lung (lung carcinoma, metastases).