DFG approves new RTG for research on lung tumors and extends existing RTG in biochemistry

The University of Cologne has established a new Research Training Group (RTG) funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). In the Research Training Group, doctoral students are integrated into a structured research and qualification program that provides them with targeted support for their research work. The newly established International RTG 3110 "Tumor Heterogeneity and Genomic Instability in Lung Cancer - Basic Mechanisms and Clinical Implications" will be funded by the DFG for five years from April 1, 2025 with a total of approximately 5.26 million euros. The cooperation partner is Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) in Seoul, South Korea.

In addition, the existing RTG 2550 "Dynamic Regulation of Cellular Protein Localization", which has been funded by the DFG with 3.76 million euros since July 2020, will receive a further 4.5 million euros from the DFG from January 1, 2025 for a period of four and a half years.

"With the funding promised by the DFG, we can further expand our structured promotion of young researchers and offer our doctoral students in the field of life sciences the best conditions for a scientifically excellent and at the same time application-oriented qualification," says the Rector of the University of Cologne, Professor Dr. Joybrato Mukherjee.

The CMMC Community warmly congratulates Professor Büttner (RTG 3110), Professor Riemer (RTG 2550) and all the basic researchers and clinician scientists involved in the successful funding respectively extension. 

RTG 3110 “Tumor Heterogeneity and Genomic Instability in Lung Cancer - Basic Mechanisms and Clinical Implications”
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Currently, there is an enormous need for research, especially for those tumors that fail to respond to current therapies after a short time, and even more so for those that do not trigger another genomically defined driver mutation or resistance mechanism. The Graduate School will therefore investigate resistance mechanisms from different perspectives.

In addition, clinically relevant models for predicting resistance mechanisms and (poly)clonal evolution in early and advanced tumors will be developed. The research team aims to define important pathways for evolution and resistance and to develop preclinical models for combined therapies in lung tumors with high-risk genomes. The central goal of the international graduate school is to train a new generation of basic and clinical researchers in the rapidly evolving fields of pathology and oncology. The students will complete their PhD in the RTG within a 4-year research program and will be supported in publishing as first authors. The RTG combines the specific expertise of the Cologne site at the Center for Molecular Medicine of the University of Cologne (CMMC) and the Department of Molecular Pathology at the University Hospital of Cologne with the expertise of the Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology (SAIHST) in Seoul in the field of data and IT-driven research. "The strategic goal is to combine the outstanding research in the national Genomic Medicine Network in Cologne with the lung cancer center at the Samsung Medical Center, which is outstanding in Asia," says Professor Dr. Reinhard Büttner from the Institute of General Pathology and Pathological Anatomy at the University Hospital in Cologne. He is - together with Professor Dr Yoon-La Choi from the Institute of Pathology at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul - the chairperson of the Research Training Group.

RTG 2550 "Dynamic regulation of cellular protein localization
In this Research Training Group, graduate students will investigate the mechanisms that allow proteins to change their function in cells and to adapt to external and internal stimuli. Proteins do not necessarily have a single function within a cell, but can change their function and even their location in response to different stimuli. This dynamic (re)localization of proteins is a central mechanism to increase the complexity of the proteome - the totality of all proteins in the cell - and to support cellular adaptation to multiple signals. However, the exact mechanisms behind these (re)localization processes and their functional and physiological consequences are still poorly understood. The chairperson of the RTG, Professor Dr. Jan Riemer from the Institute of Biochemistry at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, explains the purpose of the RTG: "The interdisciplinary Research Training Group 'Dynamic Regulation of Cellular Protein Localization' is dedicated to the investigation of little known fundamental mechanisms of cellular protein (re-)localization. In addition to the research work in their individual projects, our PhD students will receive a comprehensive and diverse training program that will prepare them for exciting future careers".

The CMMC is delighted to note the participation of the following CMMC members in the RTG 2550: Stephanie Kath-Schorr, Natalia Kononenko, Marcus Krüger, Orsolya Leidecker, Carien Niessen, Elena Rugarli and Günter Schwarz. 

More information: https://www.dfg.de/de/service/presse/pressemitteilungen/2024/pressemitteilung-nr-44

Scientific contacts

Chairperson of RTG 3110
Prof Dr Reinhard Büttner
Institute for General Pathology and Pathological Anatomy at Cologne University Hospital
reinhard.buettner[at]uk-koeln.de

Chairperson of RTG 2550
Prof Dr Jan Riemer
Institute for Biochemistry
jan.riemer[at]uni-koeln.de
 

This news is based on a press release by Mathias Martin from the University of Cologne, modified by the CMMC. Please find the original version here.