Millions in Funding for Research on how nerve fibers influence tumors: Prof. Kai Markus Schneider Receives ERC Starting Grant

Bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) is a difficult-to-treat cancer that is often detected at a late stage. New molecular targets are urgently needed to enable more effective therapies. Researchers at the Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine of TUD Dresden University of Technology are now looking to investigate whether the nervous system actively communicates with a bile duct tumor and whether it influences its behavior. To catalyze his LIVER-CIRCUITS project, Prof. Kai Markus Schneider has received a Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC), one of the most generously funded European grants, amounting to almost EUR 1.5M over five years.

Many human diseases result from complex interactions between different organs and bodily systems – a phenomenon known as organ crosstalk. Rather than focusing on isolated patterns of illness, this approach emphasizes the tight-knit interplay of the entire organism. Communication between the nervous and immune systems plays a central role, controlling processes such as inflammation and tumor development. Unraveling these mechanisms could facilitate the development of innovative therapies, including for diseases that are difficult to treat, such as bile duct cancer.

Through the LIVER-CIRCUITS project, the interdisciplinary team led by Prof.  Schneider is investigating how nerve fibers communicate with tumor and immune cells in bile duct cancer and whether these previously understudied neural circuits can be harnessed for innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. The researchers are particularly focusing on the nerve fibers that run through the tumor and its immediate surroundings. The goal is to better comprehend how the sympathetic nervous system, in particular, interacts with cancer cells, immune cells, and other cells in the tumor tissue, and how this influences tumor growth. To achieve this, Prof. Schneider’s research team combines state-of-the-art spatial tissue analysis with experimental models that allow them to selectively modify neural circuits. In the long term, this research aims to identify new therapeutic approaches to specifically interrupt communication between the nervous system and the tumor.

“As a medical professional, I personally treat patients with liver and biliary tract diseases and have experienced firsthand how urgently we need new treatment options, especially for cholangiocarcinoma. LIVER-CIRCUITS is our opportunity to explore a completely new dimension of tumor biology. What I find particularly appealing is the close connection between fundamental research and clinical medicine. If we succeed in deciphering these neural circuits, this could lead to us discovering new biomarkers and entirely new therapeutic approaches in the long term. It is precisely this bridge – from mechanistic understanding to better treatment for patients – that is my central motivation, both for this project and for my daily clinical and scientific work,” explains Prof. Schneider.

"Investigating nerve fibers within the tumor microenvironment is a strategically important avenue for our oncology research. The ERC funding highlights the importance of this approach and reaffirms Dresden as a center of scientific excellence,” says Prof. Esther Troost, Dean of the TUD Faculty of Medicine. "We are very pleased that Prof. Schneider has joined us here in Dresden."

"LIVER-CIRCUITS examines fundamental mechanisms within tumor tissue that have remained unexplored thus far. If we can characterize these processes more precisely, it could lead to real progress in treating patients with bile duct cancer,” adds Prof. Uwe Platzbecker, Chief Medical Officer of the University Hospital Dresden.

The LIVER‑CIRCUITS project is based at TUD Faculty of Medicine. Prof. Schneider and his team conduct research at both the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) and the Else Kröner Fresenius Center (EKFZ) for Digital Health combining the scientific expertise of both institutes with the clinical competence of the Department of Internal Medicine I at the University Hospital Dresden.

ERC Starting Grants:

The Starting Grants of the European Research Council (ERC) support researchers from the outset of their careers in launching their own projects, building research teams, and thereby further developing their ideas. Researchers with up to ten years of experience since completing their PhD, a promising scientific tracks record, and an excellent research project are eligible to apply. In 2026, the ERC will provide a total of EUR 705M across Europe and across disciplines for approximately 450 Starting Grants. A total of 4,807 applications were submitted in the current funding round.

About:

Prof. Kai Markus Schneider has been the Chair of Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Faculty of Medicine at TUD Dresden University of Technology since October 2024. He is also a senior physician at the Medical Clinic and Polyclinic I of the Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital Dresden. This means that he can closely integrate his research into gastroenterological and hepatological patient care. Prof. Schneider studied medicine at RWTH Aachen University, with placements at Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA, and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, USA.  He earned both his medical and natural science doctorates at RWTH Aachen University. From 2020 to 2022, he conducted research as a postdoctoral fellow alongside a DFG research fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. Starting in 2022, he led his own research group at the University Hospital of RWTH Aachen, where he investigated the complex communication processes between organs such as the liver, intestine, brain, and the immune system. His current research group, “Digital Systems Medicine and Organ Crosstalk”, is based at the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) and the Else Kröner Fresenius Center (EKFZ) for Digital Health. A particular focus of his work involves linking mechanistic and data-driven research with clinically relevant issues. Prof. Schneider has already been honored with several prestigious awards for his scientific work, including the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize from the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Theodor Frerichs Prize from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Innere Medizin (DGIM).

Research contact:
Prof. Kai Markus Schneider
Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine
of TUD Dresden University of Technology
+49 351 458-82251

Media inquiries:
Anne-Stephanie Vetter
Public Relations Office Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine
of TUD Dresden University of Technology
+49 351 458 17903

www.tu-dresden.de/med