Our research

The Fuchs Lab is focused on the development, validation and clinical translation of advanced cellular therapeutics aimed at treating a wide range of human diseases to improve quality of life of patients. Our research integrates fundamental immunology, cell engineering and translational medicine to design next-generation affordable cell-based therapies with improved efficacy and safety.

Working in close collaboration with the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility at the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) and clinicians at the University Hospital, we are able to seamlessly transition from discovery to clinical application. Through this, we have successfully translated two cellular immunotherapies into clinical use: regulatory T cell (Treg) therapies for immune modulation and virus-specific T cell (VST) therapies for the treatment of viral complications in immunocompromised patients. Both products have been established and manufactured in our in-house GMP facility and have been administered to patients.

Together with Michael Sieweke's group we are developing engineered macrophages with a completely new biology as an allogeneic immunotherapy for solid tumors. Our proprietary, innovative macrophage technology enables the large-scale expansion of macrophages with stable, intrinsic antitumor activity. https://tu-dresden.de/cmcb/die-einrichtung/news/new-approach-against-solid-tumors-eu-invests-euro2-5-million-in-novel-cancer-therapy-at-tu-dresden

To develop precision therapies that can be applied for multiple diseases while reducing costs and development time, we are establishing protocols to manufacture cells using universal adapter chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technologies, such as Reverse CAR (RevCAR), developed by our collaborator research lab of Anja Feldmann at the Helmholtz Center Dresden-Rossendorf. These modular CAR systems are designed to improve therapeutic flexibility, expand target recognition and improve safety.

You can read more about our specific projects on this page.