New prospects for bile duct cancer: PARP-1 as a therapeutic target in KRAS-mutated intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (iCCAs) are among the most aggressive forms of cancer worldwide. Despite advances in systemic therapy, treatment options remain limited, which is why new strategies are urgently needed. A study led by Prof. Dr Jens Marquardt at the UKSH in Lübeck has now shown that the activation of PARP-1 plays a key role in KRAS-mutated iCCAs – a mutation associated with a particularly poor prognosis. Targeted inhibition of PARP-1 significantly reduced tumour growth in preclinical models. These findings open up new avenues for personalised therapies. The Wilhelm Sander Foundation supported the project with €180,000.
A potential new strategy for overcoming resistance to immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer and other tumours
Cellular and immunotherapies are currently either ineffective or only partially effective in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Researchers at LMU Munich had discovered that this is due, amongst other things, to a specific signalling molecule, prostaglandin, which is released by both cancer cells and their surrounding environment. With funding of 177,000 euros from the Wilhelm Sander Foundation, Sebastian Kobold’s research group has now developed a potential strategy for selectively switching off this signalling pathway. Using gene scissors, the scientists have now been able to block the effect of prostaglandins in cellular therapies, which could potentially make immunotherapies feasible for this disease as well.
Genetic mutation opens up new targets for treating neuroblastoma
Neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer, is often difficult to treat – particularly when it is associated with unfavourable genetic alterations. Led by Dr Jan Dörr, a research team has now investigated how the DDX1 gene influences the properties of tumour cells. The researchers were able to show that, in many aggressive neuroblastomas, DDX1 is amplified alongside the oncogene MYCN, alters cellular metabolism and creates a dependency on the mTOR signalling pathway. Furthermore, the gene influences how cancer cells respond to chemotherapy. The Wilhelm Sander Foundation funded the project with around 198,000 euros. The findings point to a potential new target for future therapies.
Property management in foundations: between tradition and professionalisation
In many places, foundations’ property portfolios have grown organically over decades – and in some cases over centuries. They served as a secure investment, a means of securing long-term returns, or directly to fulfil the foundation’s purpose. In the past, property management could be limited to letting flats as they became vacant, carrying out ad hoc repairs and, in individual cases, modernisation, as well as simple management models (settling operating and heating costs). Decisions were made with sound judgement, but rarely with a strategic focus on returns, liquidity and risk against the backdrop of foundation-specific requirements.
By Ernst G. Wittmann
The Foundation Compass – Everything you need to know about foundations
Establishing a foundation, making a donation, sponsoring … What do these terms actually mean? And what are the key differences? The world of foundations is characterised by a multitude of terms, whilst at the same time alternative forms of foundations are becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s (foundation) landscape: this leads to confusion and numerous myths, such as the idea that foundations are only for the rich who want to save on tax. Ernst G. Wittmann is a qualified financial analyst and a long-standing foundation manager; he has been Head of Foundation Administration at LMU Munich since 2015 and has many years’ experience in a leadership role in the field of foundation consultancy. In this book, he provides an introduction to the world of foundations, which can also serve as a ‘foundation compass’ for day-to-day foundation work. It is aimed both at those interested in the world of foundations and at everyone involved in day-to-day foundation work, from foundation founders to potential donors. It features numerous practical tips, case studies and knowledge boxes to provide food for thought for day-to-day foundation work.
By Ernst G. Wittmann & Carsten Seip
FinanzBuch Verlag
Hardback, 272 pages
Published: December 2023
ISBN: 978-3-95972-463-0
Foundations and start-ups: the driving force behind medical research
On the Bavarian State Government’s decision regarding the VC4Start-ups initiative.
Private foundations play a crucial role in ensuring that medical research in Germany can progress – often in areas where government or industry funding approaches its limits. In Bavaria in particular, it is evident how strongly the interaction between foundations, universities and new initiatives shapes the climate for innovation. Recent political decisions are providing further impetus and opening up new avenues for medical breakthroughs and start-up funding.
By Ernst G. Wittmann
Transparent Animal Testing Initiative
As a foundation supporting innovative medical research, the Wilhelm Sander Foundation is part of the “Transparent Animal Testing Initiative”. We are committed to transparent and proactive communication regarding when and why animal experimentation is used. Even though alternative methods are becoming increasingly important, science is currently still unable to dispense entirely with animal experimentation in certain areas of research. This makes strict legal requirements, careful assessment and the consistent application of the 3Rs principle all the more important in order to limit animal testing to the absolute minimum. Through our support for the initiative, we aim to contribute to a transparent, evidence-based discussion and strengthen the dialogue with the public.
Infrared molecular fingerprinting: a new approach to early cancer detection
The Wilhelm Sander Foundation is providing funding of around one million euros for a pioneering research project at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) and the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics. The aim of the project, led by Prof. Dr Ferenc Krausz and Prof. Dr Mihaela Žigman, is to develop a new form of molecular cancer diagnostics and bring it into clinical use. As early diagnosis is the most important prerequisite for successful treatment in most forms of cancer, molecular blood analyses open up new possibilities in this regard: they reveal disease-related changes in individual organs within the context of the body as a whole.
Research that makes a difference: The Wilhelm Sander Foundation is providing €3.3 million in funding for 20 projects in the fight against cancer in the first quarter of 2026
Scientific progress through synergy: The 20 projects that the Wilhelm Sander Foundation accepted for funding at the start of 2026 cover a broad spectrum of modern cancer research. The projects take an integrative approach, ranging from the identification of new molecular targets – for example, in the cell membrane or the immune system – to the optimisation of clinical processes through precise monitoring of treatment. The aim is to gain a fundamental understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying tumour development and the emergence of resistance, and to translate this into therapeutic benefits.
Tumour-specific ‘alarm system’ improves the efficacy of CAR-T cell therapy
Researchers led by Dr Nadia El Khawanky, Dr Simon Heidegger and Dr Nardine Soliman from the Third Department of Internal Medicine at the Technical University of Munich Hospital (TUM Hospital) have, with funding of 146,000 euros from the Wilhelm Sander Foundation, uncovered key mechanisms by which tumour cells develop resistance to CAR-T cells. The scientists demonstrated that an innate cellular alarm system, which normally detects viral infections, plays a crucial role in determining how susceptible tumour cells are to attack by CAR-T cells. This opens up new approaches to making CAR-T cell therapies effective against solid tumours as well.