From 8 to 11 September, the MS Wissenschaft will be moored near the Mainkuh in Würzburg. On board the exhibition ship is a digital research game from Würzburg that explains a special form of cancer treatment in an accessible way.
The MS Wissenschaft is a 100-metre-long inland cargo ship that brings the latest research to various cities in the form of a floating exhibition. Since May, it has been on a tour as part of the Year of Science 2026 under the theme 'Medicine of the Future', calling at a total of around 35 cities. Around 30 exhibits are on display on board.
This year's exhibition also features a display from Würzburg on so-called CAR-T cells. These are immune cells that are engineered for cancer treatment with a special receptor, enabling them to recognise and specifically destroy cancer cells.
Visitors to the MS Wissenschaft can see for themselves exactly how this works: on a large, touch-sensitive table, they can assemble their own CAR-T cells. With the right receptor - the 'CAR' (which stands for 'chimeric antigen receptor') - the immune cells gain a 'superpower' to destroy cancer cells.
The exhibit was developed by an interdisciplinary team from Würzburg University Hospital (UKW), the University of Würzburg (JMU) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI in Leipzig. It brings cancer research and immunotherapy to life for a wide audience and encourages people to engage in conversation with one another.
Conveying cancer research and immunotherapy in a playful way
"The CAR-T cell game has already attracted a great deal of interest along the MS Wissenschaft's route," says Professor Michael Hudecek, Chair of Cellular Immunotherapy at the University Hospital and head of the IZI's Würzburg branch, with delight. "We've already received a lot of feedback from visitors, as well as from patients. So we're all the more excited about the stop in Würzburg: a large part of the research that we're showcasing through this exhibit originated here."
In a joint project, teams from the two Würzburg chairs - one in Immunotherapy and the other in Games Engineering - conceived, developed and programmed the game within around four months. The technical implementation was carried out by games engineering student Marie Schramm as part of her bachelor's thesis in Professor Sebastian von Mammen's group.
The idea for the game came from Annika Dressler of the Chair of Cellular Immunotherapy. Thomas Däullary was responsible for the game design and scientific supervision. Christina Bornschein was in charge of organisational management and communication. Both work at the Chair of Cellular Immunotherapy. Following the tour of the exhibition vessel, the team intends to further develop the project and give it a more strategic focus, so that it can be played across several levels and conveys even more complex interrelationships.
The exhibit was funded with support from the Comprehensive Cancer Centre Allianz WERA (CCC WERA), the National Centre for Tumour Diseases (NCT) WERA, the Vogel Foundation Dr Eckernkamp, PlasmidFactory GmbH, Miltenyi Biotec and Johnson & Johnson.
Events on board
Several free events open to the public are taking place on board the MS Wissenschaft, organised by the University Hospital, the Universit of Würzburg and the trade journal Vogel IT Medien. As space on the ship is limited, attendance on 9 and 10 September is only possible with prior registration (see registration pages) - all events will be held in German:
- 8 September, 4 pm to 5 pm: Dialogue on Deck: 'AI against Cancer' - From data to therapies: How AI and IT are transforming cancer research
- 9 September, 5-7 pm: Dialogue on Deck: From Research to Clinical Practice: How Innovation Emerges
- 10 September, 8.00 pm to 9.00 pm: Science Slam and Open Mic on the theme of the future of medicine
The MS Wissenschaft
The MS Wissenschaft has been on tour since May 2026. Setting sail from Berlin, the 100-metre-long cargo ship's route first took it to Poland, then through Germany and Austria. In total, it will call at around 35 towns and cities. Admission is free. Every year, around 100,000 people visit the exhibition, including many school groups and families. The MS Wissenschaft is organised by Wissenschaft im Dialog gGmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).
The final stop in Germany will be in Würzburg from 8 to 11 September 2026. During this time, the floating exhibition will be moored near the Mainkuh, near Felix-Freudenberger-Platz (coordinates 49.789326, 9.927181).
