ZMB Member Halime Kalkavan

ZMB Member
Halime Kalkavan

Next ZMB-Member
Barbara Grüner portrait
© UKE

Dr. Halime Kalkavan

Lung Cancer & Metastatic Uveal Melanoma

Clinic for Internal Medicine (Tumor Research)
West German Cancer Center (WTZ)
University Hospital Essen
Hufelandstraße 55
45122 Essen

Research Overview

The Kalkavan research group focuses on Cancer Cell Fate Decision Making, with expertise in regulated cell death (RCD), survival pathways, and tumor immunology. Using lung cancer as a model, they identified Drug-Tolerant Persister cancer cells (DTP) that activate RCD pathways yet survive through evolutionarily conserved stress responses via cytochrome c. This uncovered a novel role for cytochrome c beyond life (electron transport chain) and death (apoptosome activation): survival through the Integrated Stress Response. These molecular events drive stress-related metastatic spread, dormancy, and drug persistence, leading to minimal residual disease. The group further investigates DTP intrinsic mechanisms and interactions between cancer cells and the Tumor (immune) MicroEnvironment (TiME). By identifying vulnerabilities underlying Cancer Cell Death Resilience, the Kalkavan lab aims to improve Cancer Therapy. Their expertise allows them to address a key Immuno-Oncology question: "what does it take to transform tolerogenic cell death into immunogenic cell death?" a.k.a. "transforming cold tumors into hot ones".
Read more

Selected Publications

    Journal articles

  • Gromke, Tanja; Durand, Juliane; Mueller, Tamara T.; Neumaier, Felix; Liffers, Sven T.; Richly, Heike; Grubert, Matthias; Haubold, Johannes; Theysohn, Jens; Kalkavan, Halime; Bechrakis, Nikolaos E.; Schuler, Martin; Braren, Rickmer; Schaarschmidt, Benedikt; Siveke, Jens
    Clinical and radiomics parameter prognostication in metastatic uveal melanoma patients treated with hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy
    In: The Oncologist, Vol. 31, 2026, Nr. 1, oyaf385
    DOI, Online Full Text (Open Access)
  • Kalkavan, Halime; Heinold, Andreas; Liu, Siyang; Borse, Gaurav M.; Heinemann, Falko M.; Dertnig, Thomas; Hense, Jörg; Ingenwerth, Marc; Cheung, Fung-Yi; Antonopoulou, Georgia; Pretzell, Ina; Fleischhauer, Katharina; Bechrakis, Nikolaos E.; Schuler, Martin
    Escape From Synthetic T Cell Activator Tebentafusp by Genomic HLA Loss : A Case Report
    In: HLA: Immune Response Genetics (Human Leukocyte Antigens), Vol. 107, 2026, Nr. 5, e70764
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Certa, Franziska; Horn, Peter; Keyl, Julius; Mende, Bastian; Lueong, Smiths; Hilser, Thomas; Theurer, Sarah; Virchow, Isabel; Zaun, Yasmin; Pogorzelski, Michael; Metzenmacher, Martin; Kalkavan, Halime; Kasper, Stefan; Schuler, Martin; Wiesweg, Marcel; Zaun, Gregor
    ABO‐Blood Group Associates With Survival Outcomes in Patients With Metastatic Non‐Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Pembrolizumab Monotherapy
    In: Thoracic Cancer, Vol. 16, 2025, Nr. 6, e70037
    DOI, Online Full Text (Open Access)
  • Ramesh, Palaniappan; Al Kadi, Amal R.; Borse, Gaurav M.; Webendörfer, Maximilian; Zaun, Gregor; Metzenmacher, Martin; Doerr, Fabian; Bölükbas, Servet; Hegedüs, Balazs; Lueong, Smiths S.; Magne, Joelle; Liu, Beiyun; Nunez, Greisly; Schuler, Martin; Green, Douglas R.; Kalkavan, Halime
    BCL-B Promotes Lung Cancer Invasiveness by Direct Inhibition of BOK
    In: Cells, Vol. 14, 2025, Nr. 4, 246
    DOI, Online Full Text (Open Access)
  • Webendoerfer, Maximilian; Wiesweg, Marcel; Winantea, Jane; Keyl, Julius; Hautzel, Hubertus; Metzenmacher, Martin; Theegarten, Dirk; Darwiche, Kaid; Bölükbas, Servet; Doerr, Fabian; Graw, Aleksandra; Taube, Christian; Stuschke, Martin; Opitz, Marcel; Kalkavan, Halime; Schuler, Martin; Eberhardt, Wilfried; Oezkan, Filiz
    Early years, advanced disease : The unmet need in young adults with non-small cell lung cancer
    In: European Journal of Cancer (EJC), Vol. 230, 2025, 116011
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Zaun, Gregor; Liu, Siyang; Webendörfer, Maximilian; Wani, Abubakar; Rodriguez, Diego; Green, Douglas R.; Kalkavan, Halime
    Protocol for the establishment of murine orthotopic lung tumors and the assessment of contralateral pulmonal metastasis by flow cytometry
    In: STAR Protocols, Vol. 6, 2025, Nr. 2, 103793
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Kalkavan, Halime; Scheulen, Max Ernst; Kämpgen, Eckhart; Keilholz, Ulrich; Heinzerling, Lucie; Lueong, Smiths S.; Hlinka, Annalena; Gromke, Tanja; Ochsenreither, Sebastian; Hilger, Ralf A.; Grubert, Matthias; Wetter, Axel; Guberina, Nika; Zeschnigk, Michael; Ferency, Peter; Held, Swantje; Hinke, Axel; Schuler, Gerold; Al-Ghazzawi, Karim; Bornfeld, Norbert; Bechrakis, Nikolaos E.; Schuler, Martin; Bauer, Sebastian; Richly, Heike; Siveke, Jens
    Sorafenib as first-line therapy for metastatic uveal melanoma : A multicenter, placebo-controlled randomized discontinuation study (STREAM)
    In: iScience, Vol. 28, 2025, Nr. 12, 114045
    DOI (Open Access)
  • Göbel, C.; Breitenbücher, Frank; Kalkavan, Halime; Hähnel, Patricia S.; Kasper, Stefan; Hoffarth, Christian; Merches, Katja; Schild, Hans-Jörg; Lang, Karl S.; Schuler, Martin
    Functional expression cloning identifies COX-2 as a suppressor of antigen-specific cancer immunity
    In: Cell Death and Disease, Vol. 5, 2014, Nr. 12, 1568
    DOI (Open Access)
Read more