As the irradiation of tumor tissue, e.g. in the case of prostate tumors, always affects an area of healthy tissue, ways are being sought to increase the sensitivity of the tumor tissue to irradiation and make the healthy tissue less sensitive. Prof. Klein's team has turned its attention to vascular cells, also known as endothelial cells.

She has studied a membrane protein (caveolin 1) that is present in low concentrations in endothelial cells during tumor growth, which is why the tumor endothelial cells effectively die after irradiation. Therefore, the effects of membrane protein concentrations on cell signaling and metabolic pathways as well as physiological cell death (apoptosis) during irradiation are investigated using human cell lines and cancer tissue from patients.

Original publication:
Ketteler J, Wittka A, Leonetti D, Roy VV, Estephan H, Maier P, Reis H, Herskind C, Jendrossek V, Paris F, Klein D. Caveolin-1 regulates the ASMase/ceramide-mediated radiation response of endothelial cells in the context of tumor-stroma interactions. Cell Death Dis. 2020 Apr 9;11(4):228. doi: 10.1038/s41419-020-2418-z. PMID: 32273493; PMCID: PMC7145831.

The animal welfare research prize is endowed with 25,000 euros.

Source and further information:
https://www.bmel.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/DE/2023/135-tierschutzforschungspreis.html
https://www.uk-essen.de/zellbiologie/forschung/arbeitsgruppemolekularezellbiologie/nachwuchs-gruppen/d-klein/