ZMB Member Jürgen Becker

ZMB Member
Jürgen Becker

Next ZMB-Member
Jürgen Becker
© DKTK/J.Becker

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Becker

Group

Translational Skin Cancer Research

West German Cancer Center (WTZ)
German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
University Duisburg-Essen
45141 Essen

Research Overview

"It is the responsibility of those of us involved in today’s biomedical research enterprise to translate the remarkable scientific innovations we are witnessing into health gains for the nation." Elias A. Zerhouni, N Engl J Med 353; 15: 1621

Recent advances in cancer biology, molecular biology and immunology should allow for a significant impact on the treatment and management of cancer. Still, our knowledge of many fundamental aspects of biology in health and disease is insufficiently translated into the clinical situation to reliably improve cancer prevention and treatment; moreover, substantial parts of this knowledge were acquired by use of model systems, which are not always reflecting the clinical situation. Translational cancer research bridges the gap between laboratory-based science and patient care in the clinic and vice versa.

To this end, research in skin cancer permits to scrutinize tumor biology and cancer immunology with more ease than this is possible in other cancer entities: In skin, most tumors are diagnosed at early stages, are characterized by a progression in stages (i.e. loco-regional metastases preceding distant metastases), and the metastases are frequently localized in the skin. Thus, sequential tumor manifestations can be analyzed over the course of disease progression as well as during therapeutic interventions. These characteristics are extremely favorable for translational research strategies.

research concept Juergen Becker
© J.Becker
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Selected Publications

    Journal articles

  • Somasundaram, Rajasekharan; Connelly, Thomas; Choi, Robin; Choi, Hyeree; Samarkina, Anastasia; Li, Ling; Gregorio, Elizabeth; Chen, Yeqing; Thakur, Rohit; Abdel-Mohsen, Mohamed; Beqiri, Marilda; Kiernan, Meaghan; Perego, Michela; Wang, Fang; Xiao, Min; Brafford, Patricia; Yang, Xue; Xu, Xiaowei; Secreto, Anthony; Danet-Desnoyers, Gwenn; Traum, Daniel; Kaestner, Klaus H.; Huang, Alexander C.; Hristova, Denitsa; Wang, Joshua; Fukunaga-Kalabis, Mizuho; Krepler, Clemens; Ping-Chen, Fang; Zhou, Xiangyang; Gutierrez, Alexis; Rebecca, Vito W.; Vonteddu, Prashanthi; Dotiwala, Farokh; Bala, Shashi; Majumdar, Sonali; Dweep, Harsh; Wickramasinghe, Jayamanna; Kossenkov, Andrew V.; Reyes-Arbujas, Jorge; Santiago, Kenisha; Nguyen, Tran; Griss, Johannes; Keeney, Frederick; Hayden, James; Gavin, Brian J.; Weiner, David; Montaner, Luis J.; Liu, Qin; Peiffer, Lukas; Becker, Jürgen; Burton, Elizabeth M.; Davies, Michael A.; Tetzlaff, Michael T.; Muthumani, Kar; Wargo, Jennifer A.; Gabrilovich, Dmitry; Herlyn, Meenhard
    Tumor-infiltrating mast cells are associated with resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy
    In: Nature Communications Vol. 12 (2021) Nr. 1, pp. 346
    ISSN: 2041-1723
    Online Full Text: dx.doi.org/ (Open Access)
  • Zimmer, Lisa; Livingstone, Elisabeth; Hassel, Jessica C.; Fluck, Michael; Eigentler, Thomas; Loquai, Carmen; Haferkamp, Sebastian; Gutzmer, Ralf; Meier, Friedegund; Mohr, Peter; Hauschild, Axel; Schilling, Bastian; Menzer, Christian; Kieker, Felix; Dippel, Edgar; Rösch, Alexander; Simon, Jan-Christoph; Conrad, Beate; Körner, Silvia; Windemuth-Kieselbach, Christine; Schwarz, Leonora; Garbe, Claus; Becker, Jürgen C.; Schadendorf, Dirk; Berking, Carola; Herbst, Rudolf A.; Martens, Uwe M; Sell, Sabine; Stadler, Rudolf; Terheyden, Patrick; Utikal, Jochen
    Adjuvant nivolumab plus ipilimumab or nivolumab monotherapy versus placebo in patients with resected stage IV melanoma with no evidence of disease (IMMUNED) : a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial
    In: The Lancet Vol. 395 (2020) Nr. 10236, pp. 1558 - 1568
    ISSN: 1474-547X; 0140-6736
    Online Full Text: dx.doi.org/
  • Ugurel, Selma; Schadendorf, Dirk; Horny, K.; Sucker, Antje; Schramm, Sabine; Utikal, Jochen; Pföhler, Claudia; Herbst, Rudolf A.; Schilling, B.; Blank, Christian U.; Becker, Jürgen; Paschen, Annette; Zimmer, Lisa; Livingstone, Elisabeth; Horn, Peter; Rebmann, Vera
    Elevated baseline serum PD-1 or PD-L1 predicts poor outcome of PD-1 inhibition therapy in metastatic melanoma
    In: Annals of Oncology Vol. 31 (2020) Nr. 1, pp. 144 - 152
    ISSN: 1569-8041; 0923-7534
    Online Full Text: dx.doi.org/
  • Spassova, Ivelina; Ugurel, Selma; Terheyden, Patrick; Sucker, Antje; Hassel, Jessica C.; Ritter, Cathrin; Kubat, Linda; Habermann, Daniel; Farahpour, Farnoush; Saeedghalati, Mohammadkarim; Peiffer, Lukas; Kumar, Rajiv; Schrama, David; Hoffmann, Daniel; Schadendorf, Dirk; Becker, Jürgen
    Predominance of Central Memory T Cells with High T-Cell Receptor Repertoire Diversity is Associated with Response to PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibition in Merkel Cell Carcinoma
    In: Clinical Cancer Research Vol. 26 (2020) Nr. 9, pp. 2257 - 2267
    ISSN: 1078-0432; 1557-3265
    Online Full Text: dx.doi.org/
  • Lindahl, Lise M.; Willerslev-Olsen, Andreas; Gjerdrum, Lise M.R.; Nielsen, Pia R.; Blümel, Edda; Rittig, Anne H.; Celis, Pamela; Herpers, Bjorn; Becker, Jürgen; Stausbøl-Grøn, Birgitte; Wasik, Mariusz A.; Gluud, Maria; Fredholm, Simon; Buus, Terkild B.; Johansen, Claus; Nastasi, Claudia; Peiffer, Lukas; Kubat, Linda; Bzorek, Michael; Eriksen, Jens O.; Krejsgaard, Thorbjørn; Bonefeld, Charlotte M.; Geisler, Carsten; Mustelin, Tomas; Langhoff, Erik; Givskov, Michael; Woetmann, Anders; Kilian, Mogens; Litman, Thomas; Iversen, Lars; Odum, Niels
    Antibiotics inhibit tumor and disease activity in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
    In: Blood Vol. 134 (2019) Nr. 13, pp. 1072 - 1083
    ISSN: 1528-0020; 0006-4971
    Online Full Text: dx.doi.org/
  • Emmons, Michael F.; Faião-Flores, Fernanda; Sharma, Ritin; Thapa, Ram; Messina, Jane L.; Becker, Jürgen; Schadendorf, Dirk; Seto, Edward; Sondak, Vernon K.; Koomen, John M.; Chen, Yian A.; Lau, Eric K.; Wan, Lixin; Licht, Jonathan D.; Smalley, Keiran S. M.
    HDAC8 regulates a stress response pathway in melanoma to mediate escape from BRAF inhibitor therapy
    In: Cancer Research Vol. 79 (2019) Nr. 11, pp. 2947 - 2961
    ISSN: 0008-5472; 0099-7013; 0099-7374; 1538-7445
    Online Full Text: dx.doi.org/
  • Fan, Kaiji; Ritter, Cathrin; Nghiem, Paul; Blom, Astrid; Verhaegen, Monique E.; Dlugosz, Andrzej; Ødum, Niels; Woetmann, Anders; Tothill, Richard W.; Hicks, Rodney J.; Sand, Michael; Schrama, David; Schadendorf, Dirk; Ugurel, Selma; Becker, Jürgen C.
    Circulating cell-free miR-375 as surrogate marker of tumor burden in Merkel cell carcinoma
    In: Clinical Cancer Research Vol. 24 (2018) Nr. 23, pp. 5873 - 5882
    ISSN: 1078-0432; 1557-3265
    Online Full Text: dx.doi.org/
  • Eigentler, T K; Gutzmer, R; Hauschild, A; Heinzerling, L; Schadendorf, Dirk; Nashan, D; Hölzle, E; Kiecker, F; Becker, Jürgen; Sunderkötter, C; Moll, I; Richtig, E; Pönitzsch, I; Pehamberger, H; Kaufmann, R; Pföhler, C; Vogt, T; Berking, C; Praxmarer, M; Garbe, C
    Adjuvant treatment with pegylated interferon ?-2a versus low-dose interferon ?-2a in patients with high-risk melanoma : a randomized phase III DeCOG trial
    In: Annals of Oncology Vol. 27 (2016) Nr. 8, pp. 1625 - 1632
    ISSN: 0923-7534; 1569-8041
    Online Full Text: dx.doi.org/ (Open Access)
  • Becker, Jürgen; Lorenz, Eva; Haas, Gabriele; Helwig, Christoph; Oksen, Dina; Mahnke, Lisa; Bharmal, Murtuza F.
    Evaluation of real world treatment outcomes in patients with metastatic merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) following second line chemotherapy
    In: Annals of Oncology Vol. 27 (2016) Nr. Suppl. 6, pp. vi397
    ISSN: 1569-8041; 0923-7534
    Online Full Text: dx.doi.org/ (Open Access)
  • Zhao, Fang; Sucker, Antje; Horn, Susanne; Heeke, Christina; Bielefeld, Nicola; Schrörs, Barbara; Bicker, Anne; Lindemann, Monika; Rösch, Alexander; Gaudernack, Gustav; Stiller, Mathias; Becker, Jürgen; Lennerz, Volker; Wölfel, Thomas; Schadendorf, Dirk; Griewank, Klaus; Paschen, Annette
    Melanoma Lesions Independently Acquire T-cell Resistance during Metastatic Latency
    In: Cancer Research Vol. 76 (2016) Nr. 15, pp. 4347 - 4358
    ISSN: 0008-5472; 1538-7445
    Online Full Text: dx.doi.org/
  • Ugurel, Selma; Loquai, Carmen; Kähler, Katharina; Hassel, Jessica; Berking, Carola; Zimmer, Lisa; Haubitz, Imme; Satzger, Imke; Müller-Brenne, Tina; Mikhaimer, Nadia C.; Becker, Jürgen; Kilian, Katharina J.; Schadendorf, Dirk; Heinzerling, Lucie; Kaatz, Martin; Utikal, Jochen; Göppner, Daniela; Pföhler, Claudia; Pflugfelder, Annette; Mößner, Rotraut; Gutzmer, Ralf
    A multicenter DeCOG study on predictors of vemurafenib therapy outcome in melanoma : pretreatment impacts survival
    In: Annals of Oncology Vol. 26 (2015) Nr. 3, pp. 573 - 582
    ISSN: 0923-7534; 1569-8041
    Online Full Text: dx.doi.org/ (Open Access)
  • Ugurel, Selma; Mentzel, Thomas; Utikal, Jochen; Helmbold, Peter; Mohr, Peter; Pföhler, Claudia; Schiller, Meinhard; Hauschild; Hein, Rüdiger; Kämpgen, Eckhardt; Kellner, Ivonne; Leverkus, Martin; Becker, Jürgen; Ströbel, Philip; Schadendorf, Dirk
    Neoadjuvant imatinib in advanced primary or locally recurrent dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans : A multicenter phase II DeCOG Trial with Long-Term Follow-Up
    In: Clinical Cancer Research Vol. 20 (2014) Nr. 2, pp. 499 - 510
    ISSN: 1557-3265; 1078-0432
    Online Full Text: dx.doi.org/
  • Lyngaa, Rikke; Pedersen, Natasja Wulff; Schrama, David; Thrue, Charlotte Albkæ; Ibrani, Dafina; Met, Özcan; Straten, Perthor; Nghiem, Paul; Becker, Jürgen; Hadrup, Sine Reker
    T-cell responses to oncogenic Merkel cell polyomavirus proteins distinguish patients with Merkel cell carcinoma from healthy donors
    In: Clinical Cancer Research Vol. 20 (2014) Nr. 7, pp. 1768 - 1778
    ISSN: 1557-3265; 1078-0432
    Online Full Text: dx.doi.org/
  • Flaherty, Keith T.; Robert, Caroline; Hersey, Peter; Nathan, Paul; Garbe, Claus; Milhem, Mohammed; Demidov, Lev V.; Hassel, Jessica C.; Rutkowski, Piotr; Mohr, Peter; Dummer, Reinhard; Trefzer, Uwe; Larkin, James M.G.; Utikal, Jochen; Dreno, Brigitte; Nyakas, Marta; Middleton, Mark R.; Becker, Jürgen; Casey, Michelle; Sherman, Laurie J.; Wu, Frank S.; Ouellet, Daniele; Martin, Anne-Marie; Patel, Kiran; Schadendorf, Dirk
    Improved survival with MEK inhibition in BRAF-mutated melanoma
    In: The New England Journal of Medicine Vol. 367 (2012) Nr. 2, pp. 107 - 114
    ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
    Online Full Text: dx.doi.org/
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