Translational Immunopathology

Welcome to the website of the Translational Immunopathology Research Group at the Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg.

The Translational Immunopathology Research Group is supported by the Else Kröner Clinician Scientist Professorship held by Prof. Dr. Dr. Markus Eckstein. Together with several clinician scientists, medical scientists, and technical staff, we combine modern tissue analysis with clinical research questions. Our goal is to understand the interactions between tumor, immune, and stromal cells and to derive new biomarkers, diagnostic methods, and therapeutic approaches from these findings. To this end, we utilize spatial multi-omics methods, molecular and epigenetic analyses, as well as digital pathology and artificial intelligence. Our focus is on solid tumors, particularly urothelial carcinomas, head and neck squamous cell carcinomas, and pancreatic carcinomas. Through the close integration of research, diagnostics, and clinical care, we establish a direct link between mechanistic basic research and patient-oriented translation.

Research program

Our research program combines three complementary components:

Spatial Multi-Omics for the mechanistic analysis of tissue
Biomarker and clinical pathology for clinical validation and translation
Accredited quality management for standardized diagnostic implementation

This creates a continuous biomarker workflow:

Understand tissues → Identify mechanisms → Develop biomarkers → Clinically validate → Implement for diagnostic purposes

Research Focus

Translational Immunopathology and Precision Pathology of Solid Tumors

Our research focuses on how the spatial interactions between tumor, immune, and stromal cells determine therapeutic response, resistance, and toxicity. Using spatial multi-omics, we characterize functional cell states and cellular neighborhoods and identify mechanisms that can be targeted therapeutically.

Selected Key Publications:

Predictive Molecular and Biomarker Pathology

We develop and validate tissue-based biomarkers that directly support treatment decisions. To this end, we translate complex molecular data into robust, clinically applicable assays. A key focus is the identification of biomarkers for antibody-drug conjugates, targeted therapies, and immunotherapies.

Selected Key Publications:

Digital Pathology and AI-Assisted Tissue Diagnostics

We integrate digital histopathology with molecular, clinical, and omics data. Our goal is to develop reproducible AI models and quantitative image biomarkers that make molecular testing more targeted and derive prognostic or predictive information directly from routine specimens.

Selected Key Publications:

Research, Cohort, and Reference Pathology

Our research group serves as the interface between tissue research, diagnostic pathology, and clinical trials. To this end, we integrate biobanking, biomarker testing during clinical trials, central reference pathology, and external quality assurance into a single translational infrastructure.

Selected Key Publications:

The infrastructure is integrated into national and international networks such as BRIDGE and GUARDIANS, as well as into academic and industrial Phase I to III studies. Through the accredited interlaboratory testing center, more than 30 interlaboratory tests have already been conducted in collaboration with the Pathology Quality Assurance Initiative.

Transfer across entities to immune-mediated diseases and cell therapies

Our methods are not limited to specific tumor types. Spatial multi-omics, single-cell analysis, and digital tissue diagnostics are also used to investigate the mechanisms underlying immune-mediated diseases and new cell-based therapies.

Selected Key Publications:

These studies show that CD19-CAR T-cell therapy can induce a particularly profound and spatially coordinated depletion of the B-cell compartment in tissues. They thus provide a mechanistic basis for sustained remissions in autoimmune diseases.

National and International Collaborations

National

BRIDGE Consortium e.V.
GUARDIANS
Antoniu-Oreste Gostian (HNO) -- Universitätsklinikum Erlangen und Klinikum Straubing
Markus Hecht (Strahlenklinik), Kerstin Junker (Urologie) -- Universitätsklinikum Homburg
Andreas Kist (AIBE) -- FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
Niklas Klümper (Urologie), Michael Hölzel (IEM), Johannes Brägelmann (Med 3) – Universitätsklinikum und Universität Bonn
Christoph Kuppe (Nephrologie) -- RWTH Aachen
Henning Reis (Pathologie), Tibor Szarvas (Urologie), Viktor Grünwald (Uroonkologie) -- Universitätsmedizin Essen

International

Peter C. Black, Alberto Contreras-Sanz (Urology) – University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada)
Laura Bukhavina (Urology), Shilpa Gupta (Genitourinary Oncology) -- Cleveland Clinic (USA)
Nazario Tenace Mauricio Collechia (Pathology), Andrea Necchi (Genitourinary Oncology) -- IRCSS Vita-Salute San Raffaele Hospital (Italy)
Parkash Gill (Medical Oncology), Sarmad Sadeghi (Medical Oncology) -- Keck School of Medizine USC (USA)
Jonathan Rosenberg (Genitourinary Oncology), David Aggen (Genitourinary Oncology), Michal Sternschuss (SKI Medicine), Hikmat al Ahmadie (Pathology) – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC, NYC, USA)
Joshua Meeks (Urology) – Northwestern Medicine und Northwestern University (Chicago, USA)