Institute for Experimental Cellular Therapy

Welcome to the Institute for Experimental Cellular Therapy at the University Hospital Essen!

Our research focus is the adoptive transfer of immune cells for the therapy of hematologic cancers, in particular hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), as well as the development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and T-cell receptor (TCR) based strategies. Central to our projects are the highly variable human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules, which play a key role in antigen presentation and recognition by immune cell receptors. We are also active in the development and clinical implementation of state-of-the art criteria for the selection of HCT donors, as well as of platforms for monitoring of HLA-related immune escape variants in post-HCT relapse.