About the conference

In 1906, the Georg-Speyer-Haus opened its doors in Frankfurt, where Paul Ehrlich developed Salvarsan – the world’s first chemotherapy. That same year, Heidelberg and Frankfurt, together with Ehrlich, jointly hosted the very first international meeting on cancer. In recognition of these historic milestones, we are celebrating the 120th anniversary with our 4th Frankfurt Cancer Conference – a three-day, in-person meeting bringing together internationally renowned cancer researchers, early-career scientists, and clinical oncologists to revisit and advance Paul Ehrlich’s vision for the future of precision medicine:

Translating Paul Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet into Novel Targeted Therapies

The ongoing translational research activities of the Georg-Speyer-Haus and the University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt and their research consortia such as the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) in Frankfurt/Mainz and the LOEWE Center Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI) provide the framework for the conference. International, national and local research activities will be presented with focus on the following topics:

  • Tumor Microenvironment
  • Immunotherapy
  • Precision Immuno-Oncology
  • Tumor and Immunometabolism
  • Microbiome
  • Cell Plasticity, Senescence and Metastasis
  • Drug Discovery

Target audience

The conference targets basic and translational researchers as well as oncologists who are interested in cancer biology, novel cancer therapies and mechanism-based clinical trials. We want to encourage both early-career cancer researchers as well as clinical oncologists to participate and present their work to the international community. There will be plenty of opportunities to interact with experts in the field of cancer research and to establish or deepen collaborations in an inspiring atmosphere.

Scientific Organizing Committee

Prof. Dr. Florian Greten
Chair of Scientific Organizing Committee

Georg-Speyer-Haus
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)

Prof. Dr. Hubert Serve
Co-Chair of Scientific Organizing Committee

Department of Medicine 2, Hematology/Oncology
University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and DKFZ

Prof. Dr. Melek Canan Arkan
Georg-Speyer-Haus
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)

Prof. Dr. Christian Brandts
Department of Medicine 2, Hematology/Oncology
University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)

Prof. Dr. Christian Buchholz
Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI)
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)

Prof. Dr. Florian Büttner
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)

Dr. Anjali Cremer
Department of Medicine 2, Hematology/Oncology
University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)

Dr. Anne Fassl
Department of Urology
University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt

Dr. Ann-Christin Hau
Institute for Neurology (Edinger Institute)
University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt

Prof. Dr. Katharina Imkeller
Institute for Neurology (Edinger Institute)
University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)

Prof. Dr. Manuel Kaulich
Institute of Biochemistry II
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt

Prof. Dr. Jan-Henning Klusmann
Department of Pediatrics
University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)

Prof. Dr. Stefan Knapp
Institute for Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)

Dr. Konstantinos Kokkaliaris
Dr. Senckenberg Institute of Pathology
University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)

Dr. Susanne Müller-Knapp
Institute for Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt

Prof. Dr. Thomas Oellerich
Department of Medicine 2, Hematology/Oncology
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)
University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt

Prof. Dr. Stefan Offermanns
Max Planck Institute HLR 
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt

Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Plate
Institute for Neurology (Edinger Institute)
University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)

Dr. Yvonne Reiss
Institute for Neurology (Edinger Institute)
University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)

Prof. Dr. Michael Rieger
Department of Medicine 2, Hematology/Oncology
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and DKFZ

Prof. Dr. Claus Rödel
Department of Radiation Therapy and Oncology
University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)

Prof. Dr. Joachim Steinbach
Dr. Senckenberg Institute of Neurooncology
University Cancer Cancer (UCT) Frankfurt
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)

Prof. Dr. Evelyn Ullrich
Department of Pediatrics
University Cancer Cancer (UCT) Frankfurt
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)

PD Dr. Pia Zeiner
Dr. Senckenberg Institute of Neurooncology
University Cancer Cancer (UCT) Frankfurt
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)


A look at history

Excerpt from Paul Ehrlich´s talk at the first international Cancer Conference in September 1906 in Heidelberg and Frankfurt. Ehrlich describes his studies of tumors in mice focusing on the four points:

  1. Resistance,
  2. The generation of mixed tumors and their decomposition into individual components,
  3. The relationship between vascular system and tumor cells,
  4. Immunological questions.

From: lnternat. Konf. f. Krebsforschung, Sept. 1906 zu Heidelberg u. Frankfurt a. M.
Ehrlich Experimentelle Studien an Mäusetumoren. Z Krebs-forsch 5, 59–81 (1907). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02015526

Confirmed Speakers

Carl June
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, US

Ralph DeBerardinis
Pediatric Genetics and Metabolism
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas/Texas, US

Jakob Nikolas Kather
EKFZ for Digital Health
Technical University
Dresden, DE
 

Andrea Schietinger
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Sloan Kettering Institute
New York, US

Lars Zender
Medical Oncology and Pneumology
University Hospital Tübingen
Tübingen, DE

Maria Sibilia
Center for Cancer Research
Medical University Vienna
Vienna, AT

Amiran Dzutsev
Laboratory of Integrative Cancer Immunology
Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH
Bethesda, US

Nicola Aceto
Institute of Molecular Health Sciences
ETH Zürich
Zurich, CH

Mikala Egeblad
Departments of Cell Biology and Oncology
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, US

Ari Melnick
Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute
Barcelona, ES
 

Ulrich Steidl
Department of Cell Biology
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
New York, US

Luigi Naldini
San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy
Ospedale San Raffaele
Milan, IT
 

Judy Lieberman
Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology
Harvard University
Boston, US
 

Leila Akkari
Netherlands Cancer Institute
Amsterdam, NL

David Artis
The Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, US

Wendy Garrett
Department of Molecular Metabolism
Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
Boston, US

Sergio Quezada
Research Department of Haematology
University College London
London, UK

Sheila Stewart
School of Medicine
Washington University
New York, US

Robert Zeiser
Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation
University Medical Center Freiburg
Freiburg, DE

Registration

The participation fee for the Frankfurt Cancer Conference is 460 EUR. This fee includes:

  • Access to all conference sessions
  • All conference material (program & abstract book)
  • Coffee breaks, lunches and finger food on September 02-04, 2026
  • Conference dinner on September 03, 2024
  • Free WiFi at conference venue

Please note that the conference fee is an all-inclusive package and not discountable.

Please contact us directly if you need

  • on-site child care or
  • any kind of assistance with accessibility matters.

Accommodation is not included in the registration fee.

Registration 

Registration will open in February 2026.
Registration deadline: June 25, 2026

Registration will be closed after the limit of 400 registered participants is reached.

Terms and Conditions

Registration and Payment
The participant's registration will only be accepted with payment of the registration fee of 460 EUR. Payment is made via Paypal whereby the terms of use of Paypal apply. A PayPal account is not absolutely necessary; the payment process via PayPal also allows credit card and direct debit as a payment method. The registration is processed using IDLoom whereby the terms and conditions of IDLoom apply.

Substitutions and Cancellation
Full refunds of the conference registration fee will only be offered for cancellations made in writing and only prior to the registration deadline (June 25, 2026). After this deadline, cancellation and refunds will only be made in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the conference organizers. In case of cancellation, it is possible to nominate a substitute delegate from the same organization. Delegate changes are only accepted in writing. Any cancellation or substitution requests should be emailed to the Conference Manager at events@georg-speyer-haus.de.

Please note that you are responsible for organizing your own arrival and departure and that the organizer accepts no liability for the cancellation of flight or train tickets or accommodation booked by you.

Cancellation of Frankfurt Cancer Conference
If the conference should be cancelled for any reason, we will credit 100% of paid registration fees.

Program Changes
No liability is accepted for changes to the program or postponements. The organizers reserve the right to postpone or to cancel individual lectures or other program elements should this become necessary. This does not give the participant the right to withdraw. Furthermore, the organizers are not liable for the presence of announced speakers. In the event of cancellation or postponement of individual lectures or other program elements, the participant shall not be entitled to compensation of any kind. The organizers will then endeavour to find adequate replacement.

Privacy Policy
By registering for the conference, the participant agrees to allow the use and storage of his/her personal data for the purpose of processing the registration and conference fees. Furthermore, the participant consents to receive information by email and telephone in connection with the participation in the conference. The data will not be used for purposes other than the participation in the Frankfurt Cancer Conference. After the conference has been completed, the personal data of the participants will be deleted. In exceptional cases, personal data may be stored after the end of the conference until it is no longer required for the processing of the work that has arisen (e.g. problems have arisen or participants still have questions and these still need to be resolved in contact with the participant).

The organizer and its registration processor idloom process your data in compliance with European GDPR. The information you have provided upon registration is necessary to organize the event you will be attending, to generate invoices, to confirm your registration by e-mail, to create your badge and to allow you to modify your registration. You are entitled to object to these processing operations.
idloom shall only process User’s personal data in the European Union, or in third countries after having secured appropriate guaranties with the subcontractor or recipient. They are transferred to the country of the organizer. The organizer will keep your data after the event until the expiry of the legal retention obligations, in particular fiscal and accounting and until the end of the responsibility.
You can obtain from the organizer (events@georg-speyer-haus.de) the written communication of your data, as well as, where appropriate, portability of the data, rectification, restriction of processing, deletion of data which is inaccurate, incomplete or irrelevant. For further information or to lodge a complaint you may also contact our official data protection officer at the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main (dsb@uni-frankfurt.de) and the Hessian data protection officer (poststelle@datenschutz.hessen.de).

Creation, use, editing and publication of photographs and videos
Photos and videos will be taken during the event for public relations purposes. By selecting the checkbox upon registration, you agree that the photos and videos taken in connection with the event may be published, used, edited and reproduced by the organizer for representation purposes on the intranet, on the Internet (including social media platforms) and in print and presentation media without any claim to remuneration. This consent is voluntary and can be changed or completely revoked at any time in writing to the organizer with effect for the future. We would like to point out that participants who do not agree to this will be assigned a special seat during the conference.

Disclaimer
Please note that the organizers shall not be responsible for and shall be exempt from any and all liability in respect of any damage, injury or accident of any person on the way to or during the conference, or for loss or damage to his or her luggage or any other property. All insurance, including medical cover or expenses incurred in the event of the cancellation of the Frankfurt Cancer Conference are the responsibility of the participant himself. Participants are encouraged to choose a travel insurance policy that includes loss of fees/deposit through cancellation of your participation in Frankfurt Cancer Conference, or through the cancellation of the event itself, loss of airfares for any reason, medical expenses, loss or damage to personal property, additional expenses and repatriation should travel arrangements have to be altered. The Organizing Committee will take no responsibility for any participant failing to insure.

Conference venue

Goethe University Frankfurt
Westend Campus

Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1
60323 Frankfurt am Main

Casino building
Festsaal I (Room 823)

accessible by foot via Nina-Rubinstein-Weg


Transport & Directions

The Campus Westend of the Goethe University Frankfurt is well-connected to the international airport of Frankfurt (FRA) and reachable by taxi (20 min) or public transport (35 min).

The Deutsche Bahn (www.bahn.de) offers railway services from German and European cities directly to the Frankfurt Main Station, which is connected to Campus Westend by a 10 min subway ride.

Detailed information on public transportation in Frankfurt: www.rmv.de

Travel by plane
Flight to Frankfurt International Airport (FRA)
Taxi ride to Campus Westend (20 min) or
Public transportation with S8 or S9 to “Hauptwache” and then U1/U2/U3/U8 to “Holzhausenstraße”, 0.5 km walk to Campus Westend

Travel by train
Train ride to Frankfurt Main Station (“Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof”)
Public transportation with S1-9 to “Hauptwache” and then U1/U2/U3/U8 to “Holzhausenstraße”, 0.5 km walk to Campus Westend

Travel by car
Address for navigation system: Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt am Main
Parking has to be organized individually by the participants.There are no reserved parking lots at the conference venue. Several car parks are in the immediate vicinity of the conference (<1 km):

  • Parkhaus Palmengarten, Siesmayerstraße 61, 60323 Frankfurt am Main
  • Parkhaus Grünhof APCOA, Eschersheimer Landstraße 223, 60320 Frankfurt am Main
  • Parkhaus Turmcenter, Querstraße 7-9, 60547 Frankfurt am Main

Contact

Chairs of the Scientific Organizing Committee

Prof. Dr. Florian R. Greten
Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and DKFZ

Prof. Dr. Hubert Serve
Department of Medicine 2, Hematology/Oncology
University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt
Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI)
Goethe University Frankfurt
German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and DKFZ

Conference Managers

Dr. Sandra Schmitz
schmitz@fci.health
Tel: +49 (0)69 / 63395-707

Kira Vögele
events@georg-speyer-haus.de
Tel: +49 (0)69 / 63395-183

Press Relations

Felicitas Cremer
felicitas.cremer@unimedizin-ffm.de
Tel: +49 (0)69 / 6301-87335

The Frankfurt Cancer Conference is an advertising-free event.
There will be no exhibition spaces or other advertising opportunities for industry sponsors.