Langen Science Prize 2019: Preventing the recurrence of leukaemia
Cancer stem cells can evade cancer therapy in the bone marrow. Prof. Daniela Krause was awarded the 2019 Langen Science Prize for her research into inhibitors that may prevent them from doing so.
In leukaemia, cancer stem cells often evade conventional cancer therapies by hiding in the bone marrow. Cancer cells are embedded there in the microenvironment in the same way as healthy stem cells, and are thus protected from the treatment. This allows the leukaemia to return and grow after treatment.
Prof. Krause and her team are therefore looking for inhibitors that prevent the leukaemia cells from interacting with the microenvironment of the bone marrow. The aim is to combine these inhibitors with established cancer therapies and thus prevent any recurrence. “We are delighted to honour Prof. Daniela Krause, a scientist who conducts research into innovative therapeutic approaches and who significantly prepares the ground for their rapid testing in clinical trials,” said Prof. Klaus Cichutek, President of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, which awards the 50,000 euro prize every two years in conjunction with the town of Langen and Stadtwerke Langen.
On the photo
Prof. Johannes Löwer, Board of Trustees; Prof. Klaus Cichutek; Prof. Daniela Krause, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy of the charitable foundation Georg-Speyer-Haus; Dr. Lars-Christoph Nickel, Federal Ministry of Health