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.
Julia Englbrecht, a doctoral student at the Research Group “Epigenetic Immuno-oncology”, headed by Dr. Christian Schmidl, has been awarded the highly competitive doctoral scholarship by the “Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes”.
PhD students from the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (LIT) took part in the Summer School organized by the Regensburg International Graduate School of Life Sciences (RIGeL). Meghma Mukherjee has received the Best Poster Award, while Fabian Hölzl has been awarded the Best Questioner Prize. Dr. Christian Schmidl contributed as a guest lecturer at the event.
From June 27 to 29, 2025, the City of Regensburg captivated visitors at Berlin’s Wittenbergplatz with a colorful program. Prof. Philipp Beckhove, Scientific Director of the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (LIT), joined Peter Aumer, member of the German Bundestag, for the ceremonial opening.
Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (LIT), together with the University Medical Center Mainz and the German Cancer Research Center, are investigating how certain immune cells—so-called Treg cells—develop into Treg cells with special healing abilities in the human immune system. To do this, they analyze the genetic fingerprint of these cells. Their findings are bringing them closer to being able to use these specialized cells for therapeutic purposes in the future.
On June 24, 2025, Dr. Harald Schwartz, a member of the Bavarian State Parliament for the CSU representing the district Amberg-Sulzbach, visited the LIT to discuss the institute’s latest research advancements and engage with the researchers.
A groundbreaking study reported in Nature and discussed in Science Magazine has revealed that neurons donate mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouse, to cancer cells, dramatically boosting tumor growth and spread. By transferring these energy-producing organelles, nerve cells effectively “supercharge” cancer cells, helping them survive, multiply, and metastasize to other parts of the body.
We were deeply saddened to learn that Zelig Eshhar, Professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science, passed away on July 3rd, 2025, at the age of 84 years.
A publication on the hidden potential of the gene LMO4 to enhance the cancer-fighting abilities of T cells has been selected as the “Highlight of Biomedical Research” in July by the Medical Faculty of the University of Regensburg. The study authored by LIT researchers Dr. Dr. Roland Schelker, head of the Clinical Translation Group “T-Cell Fitness” at the LIT and specialist in hematology/oncology at the University Hospital Regensburg, and Prof. Luca Gattinoni, Head of LIT Research Division “Functional Immune Cell Modulation”, was published in the high-impact journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy.
The LIT highly acknowledges the hard work, dedication, and achievements of our graduate students. To express our gratitude, we celebrated “Graduate Student Appreciation Week” in June with various events.
Prof. Philipp Beckhove, Scientific Director of the Leibniz-Institute for Immunotherapy (LIT), was a guest on the podcast “Wirkstoffradio” and talked to the host Bernd Rupp about the cutting-edge research at the LIT (in German).
