We aim to harness the power of the immune system to achieve durable remissions — and ultimately cures — for patients with advanced cancers. Our research integrates clinical data, advanced immunoprofiling, and mechanistic studies to unravel the complex interplay between the immune system, the tumor macroenvironment, and cancer itself. By combining multi-omic approaches — including metagenomics, metabolomics, single-cell sequencing, and spatial transcriptomics — with preclinical and clinical models, we seek a comprehensive understanding of how immune mechanisms drive tumor initiation, progression, and therapy resistance. As a multidisciplinary team of translational biologists, microbiologists, immunologists, bioinformaticians, and clinician-scientists, we identify gaps in patient care and learn from exceptional responders and long-term survivors, translating clinical observations into laboratory investigations that guide the development of new therapeutic strategies. We are particularly interested in how host factors — including the microbiota, diet, and metabolism — shape immune responses and tumor behavior. Because these factors are modifiable and can rapidly influence systemic immunity, we explore dietary and behavioral interventions as precision therapeutics that complement standard cancer treatments.

Head: Dr. med. Joseph Tintelnot
II. Medical Clinic and PolyclinicOncology, Hematology, Bone Marrow Transplantation, with the Department of Pulmonology

Location:
N27 Campus Forschung, 4.OG
N25 HCTI, 3.OG

1. Microbiota, Diet, and Metabolite-Based Interventions

We investigate how diet shapes the microbiota to produce immunomodulatory metabolites that affect cancer development and treatment outcomes. Building on our recent discoveries, we are validating the therapeutic potential of microbiota-derived metabolites in pancreatic cancer. In parallel, we explore how microbial and dietary interventions can enhance the function and persistence of CAR T cells and endogenous cytotoxic T cells (BEAM MM trial), and we continue to identify new microbial metabolites relevant to gastrointestinal carcinogenesis.

2. Temporal Dynamics of Therapy-Induced Immune Modulation

We study the timing and sequencing of cancer therapies to understand how chemotherapy and immunotherapy interact over time. Using patient samples and preclinical models, we map how each treatment component modulates immune responses and influences therapeutic synergy. These insights guide the design of optimized combination and scheduling strategies aimed at maximizing anti-tumor immunity while minimizing immune suppression.

3. Conditioning the Immune System for Immunotherapy

We are developing interventions that “train” the immune system before immunotherapy begins. Our ongoing investigator-initiated trials — STIMULATE (dietary intervention) and SPRINT (physical activity intervention) — test whether modulating patients’ immune states prior to treatment enhances therapeutic efficacy. Through deep immunophenotyping and mechanistic studies, we aim to define how such interventions can improve clinical outcomes and refine these strategies for larger patient cohorts.

4. Translational Investigator-Initiated Trials using new therapy combinations or Patient Stratification

We actively initiate and conduct investigator-initiated trials in collaboration with academic partners and pharmaceutical companies, integrating state-of-the-art translational research into clinical studies. By comprehensively sampling and analysing patient materials in newly defined therapy regimens — for example, combining immunotherapy and targeted therapy, with or without chemotherapy — we aim to uncover biomarkers that improve patient stratification, reduce treatment-related toxicities, and enhance therapeutic efficacy. These collaborative trials serve as a bidirectional bridge between bench and bedside, ensuring that mechanistic insights directly inform clinical practice and that patient outcomes guide our next generation of experimental hypotheses.

Through this multifaceted approach, we seek not only to understand but to actively shape the tumor–immune dialogue. Our ultimate goal is to translate biological insight into tangible benefits for patients — whether through dietary and behavioural interventions, novel immunotherapies, optimized treatment timing, or drug-repurposing strategies. By connecting discovery, translational science, and clinical trials, we work toward a future in which immune-based precision medicine is accessible, effective, and sustainable for all patients with advanced cancers.

Irena Beidler is a postdoctoral researcher with extensive training in multi-omics analysis and data processing, focussing on metagenomics. With a background in environmental bacteriology, she now aims to uncover how commensal bacteria impact both carcinogenesis and cancer treatment.

Rebecca Boston is a postdoctoral researcher investigating how the immune system, cancer, and the gut microbiome interact to shape disease progression and treatment response. Drawing on expertise in bacterial genomics, metabolomics, and translational immunology, her research integrates clinical trial data with mechanistic and multi-omic approaches to uncover biological drivers of therapy efficacy.

Tobias Broering is a resident in the Department of General, Visceral, and Thoracic Surgery. He joined the laboratory to complete his MD thesis, where he investigated how intratumoral myeloid cells contribute to chemotherapy resistance in pancreatic cancer. In addition to his clinical interests in HPB surgery and transplantation, he is primarily focused on understanding how the immune system interacts with the tumor microenvironment and macroenvironment in gastrointestinal malignancies.

Sofie Brosch is a PhD candidate who combines a strong background in tumor biology with advanced immunological techniques to investigate the molecular principles that shape therapy responses. Her research focuses on gastrointestinal cancers, with particular interest in the dynamic interplay between the immune system and the tumor microenvironment.

Friederike Dierks is a resident in the Department of Hematology and Oncology at the UKE. Her primary research focus is tumor immunology. She is currently investigating how dietary fibers can improve responses to immunotherapy in patients with solid tumors and is working to better understand their effects on the microbiota and immune system in the laboratory.

Mariana Santos Cruz is a PhD student with a background in Molecular Biomedicine. She is interested in how interactions between the microbiota and the immune system shape aggressiveness, therapy resistance, and patient survival in pancreatic cancer. Her work combines patient-centered integrative omics and preclinical models to unveil molecular mechanisms through which microbial- and diet-modulated factors influence immune-mediated tumor control.

Bien Sagong is a PhD candidate in Immunology. With a background in Biochemistry (BS) and Physiology (MS), her research focuses on understanding the determinants of therapeutic efficacy in cancer patients. She aims to elucidate how cancer disrupts the body’s immunological balance over time and to uncover mechanisms that restore therapeutic response.

Maren Stillger is a postdoctoral researcher with expertise in translational proteomics, metabolomics, and spatial omics. With a background in mass spectrometry-based cancer research, she investigates molecular alterations in cancer and their impact on tumor-immune interactions. By integrating multi-omic data and bioinformatic analysis, she aims to translate molecular insights into improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Joseph Tintelnot is a board-certified physician in internal medicine, hematology, and oncology with additional training in immunology and cancer genetics. As Principal Investigator, he employs preclinical models to investigate the mechanisms underlying cancer development and therapeutic response. He also designs and leads investigator-initiated clinical trials aimed at improving patient care. His overarching goal is to enhance patients’ lives by harnessing the power of the immune system.

Jan Weller is a senior resident in his sixth year of internal medicine training, specializing in hematology and oncology. He is part of the academic Molecular Precision Medicine team and will join the lab as a clinician-scientist in January 2026, studying the impact of dietary interventions in multiple myeloma patients to enhance CAR T-cell or BiTE therapy.