Aktuell

• von Dr. Alexandra Nießen
• 14.07.2026

Cancer biologist Dr Lisa Becker is taking up the junior professorship in ‘Tumour Microenvironment and Vascular Metabolism’ at the Faculty of Medicine at UDE. She is investigating the importance of blood vessels in tumors, particularly in melanoma.

[Dr. Alexandra Niessen:] How would you summarise your research in a few sentences?

[Jun.-Prof. Dr. Lisa Becker:] I am investigating the role of blood vessels in tumours, with a particular focus on melanoma. I study why immunotherapy, works well for some patients but not for others, and what role blood vessels play in this process. Immunotherapy activates the body’s own defence system, particularly T cells, which can recognise and eliminate tumour cells. However, in order for them to reach the tumour, they must pass through the walls of the blood vessels. My research focuses on how the cells within the blood vessel walls, the so-called endothelial cells, influence this process.

I am particularly interested in how endothelial cells regulate T cells and may limit their ability to infiltrate tumours to fight cancer cells there. If we gain a better understanding of these mechanisms, we can improve the effectiveness of immunotherapies for the treatment of malignant melanoma.

Are there any issues that are particularly close to your heart?

A key focus of my research is to gain a better understanding of the interactions between tumours and their surrounding environment, particularly the role of blood vessels. Blood vessels not only supply cancer cells with oxygen and nutrients, but also regulate the infiltration of immune cells into tumours.

Blood vessels also play an important role in metastasis, that is, the spread of cancer cells to other organs. Tumour cells use the vascular system to spread throughout the body. I am therefore also interested in how blood vessels regulate these processes and how understanding these mechanisms can lead to new therapeutic approaches.

What will be your next research topic at Essen University Hospital (UK Essen)?

I would like to expand my research into the role of blood vessels in tumour biology. My current focus is on how blood vessels influence the success of immunotherapies, particularly through their role in the infiltration and activation of T cells within tumours.

In the long term, I would also like to conduct research into other disease areas, such as cardiovascular diseases. The interactions between blood vessels and immune cells are also important in this field and offer exciting opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration at the Essen University Hospital.

How do you perceive the scientific opportunities in our region?

Being part of the University Hospital provides a great opportunity to integrate basic research with clinical perspectives. In addition, the region offers a very well-connected and dynamic scientific environment, thanks to the UA Ruhr and, above all, the Leibniz Institute for Analytical Sciences (ISAS)in Dortmund. The close collaborations and the resulting diversity of expertise, technologies and methodological approaches are particularly valuable for my work, which is highly interdisciplinary.

What should your students know about you?

It is important to me not only to impart knowledge, but also to inspire a passion and a lasting enthusiasm for scientific thinking and research. I place great importance on an open, supportive learning environment where questions are actively encouraged. Science is a continuous process of discovery - we are all lifelong learners, regardless of our experience. That is precisely what makes it so exciting. We should never stop asking questions, and we never stop learning.

About the person: Ass. Prof. Dr. Lisa Becker

• Since May 2026
  Assistant Professor for ‘Tumour Microenvironment and Vascular Metabolism’ at Essen University Hospital
• 2020-2026
  Postdoctoral Fellow at the Catholic University of Leuven, Flemish Institute for Biotechnology (KU Leuven, VIB, Belgium)

• 2014-2020
  Ph.D. in Cancer Biology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston (USA)
• 2012-2014
  Master’s degree in Bioprocess Development at Mannheim University of Technology
• 2009-2012
  Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology at the Mannheim University of Technology

Further information:
Department of Dermatology, Tumor Microenvironment and Vascular Metabolism Research Group, Assistant Professor Dr. Lisa Becker, phone. +49 (0)201/723-85367, lisamaria.becker@UK-Essen.de

Editor: Dr. Alexandra Niessen, phone. +49 (0)203/37-91487, alexandra.niessen@uni-due.de