New MSNZ tandem team Tilman Rachner and Andy Göbel awarded

The MSNZ-P² Dresden has grown again. We would like to welcome the MSNZ "Tandem" group, led by PD Dr. med. Tilman Rachner and Dr. Andy Göbel. MSNZ Tandem Teams are jointly led by a scientist and a physician to enable a close interaction of basic and clinical research. The tandem team works on „Signalling pathways as targets for personalized cancer therapies“ and investigates bone metabolism in breast cancer, for which they were awarded this year's "Von Recklinghausen Prize" of the German Society of Endocrinology. The team received the award for their progress on breast cancer biomarkers. Not all breast cancers are the same. Therefore, the best possible characterization of the cancer is important for an individualized therapy of patients. The MSNZ team identified the protein periostin as a potential new biomarker during their work in the Hofbauer department. Periostin is important for the development and differentiation of bone cells. It has now been shown that a high level of this protein in the blood correlates with a poorer survival prognosis. The research work was published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment in February of this year. As a MSNZ-P² group, the tandem will continue to investigate the influences and therapeutic applications of signaling molecules, in particular of the Wnt pathway, for breast and bone cancers.