The Institute generates news every day. Some findings are groundbreaking—some represent smaller steps. But ultimately, it is the combination of both that makes scientific advancement possible. Here is a little selection of the latest stories making it out to the wider world.
The Senate of the Leibniz Association has approved nearly €3 million through the Leibniz Programme for Women Professors to support three internationally renowned female scientists, including Katharina Höfer, who is set to join the LIT in Regensburg.
The International LIT Symposium “Synthetic Immunology / Synthetic Biology” from June 23rd-24th in Regensburg brought together top experts to explore diverse facets of cellular therapies, offering cutting-edge insights and ample opportunity to debate and develop new ideas in a think-tank setting.
Transforming promising research results from Europe, and especially from Germany, into market-ready innovations and products: this is the shared goal that brought together participants at the international life science and AI trade fair bio:cap at the City Cube in Berlin, in June 2026. Scientists, innovative start-ups, established industry leaders, and international investors came together for this purpose. LIT participants were also present, working to turn their immunotherapy research into innovative solutions for patients.
The Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (LIT) and the German Rheumatology Research Center, a Leibniz-Institute (DRFZ) are initiating an Independent Joint Experimental Cell Therapy Research Group. This joint venture merges the engineered immune cell therapy expertise of the LIT and the expertise in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases of the DRFZ. The Joint Group “Experimental Cell Therapy” will be headed by Dr. Erica R. Vander Mause, an expert in gene and cellular therapies who has worked extensively with advanced gene editing techniques, primary stem and immune cell culture, and protein engineering.
Ten PhD students of the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (LIT) attended this year’s PhD Student Retreat in Hammelburg on the Franconian Saale from April 17 to April 19. Members of nine different LIT Research Divisions and Research Groups exchanged insights on the latest developments at the LIT, got amutual overview of their diverse projects and different methods used at the LIT.
Stem-cell memory T (TSCM) cells are a rare subset of immune cells with the ability to self-renew, persist long term, and mount potent anti-tumor responses. These properties make them an attractive candidate for next-generation CAR T-cell therapies. However, their clinical potential has not previously been demonstrated in humans. An international team of researchers co-led by Professor Luca Gattinoni from the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (LIT) and Dr. James Kochenderfer from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), has now published a new study in Cell reporting, for the first time, that CAR T cells designed to acquire a TSCM phenotype demonstrate a favorable safety profile and can induce complete remissions at remarkably low doses without the chemotherapy preconditioning, which is typically used in CAR T-cell therapy to enhance engraftment.
April 29 is recognized worldwide as “Immunology Day.” This year’s theme “Regulatory T Cells: Guardians of Immune Balance”, is particularly timely: the 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine honored Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell und Shimon Sakaguchi for their work in this area. Dr. Frauke Hoffmann and Ardita Ramadani from the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy are among the researchers working on these immune cells and have designed an informational poster focusing on wound healing.
“Building Fitter T Cells to Fight Cancer” is the title of a new podcast episode with Assoc. Prof. Roland Schelker, Head of Translation Group “T-Cell Fitness” at the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy. Podcast host is Dr. Smita Karpate, who initiated “The Cure Circle”, an Indian initiative bringing together scientists, clinicians, and innovators in cell and gene therapy, regenerative medicine, and biotechnology.
The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Regensburg has honored two LIT publications as “Highlights of Biomedical Research” in January and March. The “Highlights of Biomedical Research” platform offers young researchers in particular the opportunity to showcase outstanding research achievements, providing valuable insights into the faculty’s contributions.
“Cells built to cure” serves as the guiding slogan of the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy and captures our enthusiasm for the field of synthetic immunology and synthetic biology. During our conference, leading international experts in this field will present and discuss cutting‑edge, novel approaches. The International LIT Symposium takes place on June 23rd to 24th, 2026, in Regensburg, Germany. We would be delighted to have you with us!
