The research group Cancer Coagulation analyses malignancy-driven thrombosis.

Venous thromboembolism is the third most common cardiovascular-associated death worldwide and one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. Anticoagulation therapy in patients with cancer remains challenging with high recurrence rates of venous thromboembolism and increased rates of anticoagulant-related bleeding.

Our research focus lies on the activation of coagulation in malignancies, especially in cancer-driven thrombosis. Our group has shown that FXII is essential for thrombosis, while being dispensable for hemostasis (mechanisms to prevent blood loss at injury sites).

Thus, targeting FXII provides a new mode of anticoagulation without bleeding risk - the major side effect of currently used anticoagulants. FXII becomes activated by the inorganic endogenous polymer polyphosphate and we recently discovered a critical function of the polyphosphate/FXII pathway for prostate cancer-driven thrombosis.

We aim to understand the activation, regulation and functions of the polyphosphate/FXII pathway for thromboembolic diseases in malignancy to ultimately allow the development of safe anticoagulation therapies.