Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive and rapidly progressing form of lymph node cancer that affects around 6,000 people in Germany each year. In this disease, certain immune cells-B cells-become malignant. The effectiveness of therapies and patient prognoses vary widely, as DLBCL occurs in several genetically distinct variants.
As part of the DFG's Emmy Noether program, Dr. Sebastian Scheich and his research group at Medical Clinic 2 of Universitätsmedizin Frankfurt are investigating which signaling networks DLBCL cancer cells use to promote their own growth and ensure survival.
To this end, the researchers aim to elucidate how various proteins in malignant B cells are modified with sugar residues. This process, known as glycosylation, influences protein stability, function, and cellular localization, among other factors. Glycosylation also determines how cells receive and process signals, as it regulates the organization of signaling receptors on the cell surface.
In recent studies, Scheich's team has shown that changes in the enzymes catalyzing glycosylation contribute to the activation of disease-relevant signaling networks. One key network is the NF-B signaling pathway, which conveys the message to cancer cells: "Grow, divide, and do not die." Moreover, the group's findings suggest that glycosylation mechanisms may also influence how well DLBCL tumors respond to targeted therapies, cellular therapies, and immunotherapies.
The Emmy Noether funding enables Scheich to expand his junior research group and supports his dual career path in research and clinical practice. The physician explains: "We want to systematically investigate how altered glycosylation controls oncogenic signaling pathways in lymphoma cells. Our goal is to identify starting points for innovative therapies for aggressive lymphomas. As an Advanced Clinician Scientist, I lead a laboratory while also treating patients on a daily basis. This helps me align scientific questions with clinical relevance."
Dr. Sebastian Scheich, born in 1988, studied medicine at Justus Liebig University Giessen, where he also earned his doctorate. Starting 2019, he worked for four years as a postdoctoral researcher at the National Cancer Institute in the United States. Since 2023, he has been conducting research and working at Medical Clinic 2 - Hematology and Oncology at Universitätsmedizin Frankfurt and at the University Cancer Center Frankfurt (UCT). In the same year, he began establishing and leading a junior research group at the LOEWE Center Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI). Sebastian Scheich is funded as an Advanced Clinician Scientist through the INITIALISE program (Innovations in Infection Medicine) of Germany's Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, and is affiliated with the Mildred Scheel Early Career Center (MSNZ) Frankfurt-Marburg. He is also actively involved, via the Frankfurt/Mainz site of the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), in the Alliance of Rhine-Main Universities (RMU).
The Emmy Noether Program of the German Research Foundation (DFG) supports exceptionally qualified researchers at an early stage of their careers and enables them, by leading an independent junior research group for up to six years, to obtain the qualifications required for a professorship.
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Caption: Dr. Sebastian Scheich, Head of Emmy Noether Group at Medical Clinic 2 - Hematology and Oncology, Universitätsmedizin Frankfurt. Photo: Klaus Wäldele
