Clinician Scientist
Dr. med. Tillmann Rusch, M.Sc.
Department of Hematology, Oncology & Immunology, University Hospital Marburg
Research Focus: Innovative Therapeutic Strategies for WHO Grade 4 Glioblastomas
Contact: tillmann@ruschnet.de
Rusch Lab
Glioblastoma is the most common primary cancer of the adult brain. It is incurable at any stage and goes along with a median survival period of 11-15 months. Since the discovery of Temozolomide (TMZ) in 2005, there has been no significant progress in terms of standard therapy (surgery + radiochemotherapy) over the past 17 years. Dr. Tillmann Rusch and his research group associate this issue with two major factors: the apoptosis resistance exhibited by Glioblastoma-cells during treatment, in both differentiated tumor cells as well as in tumor stem cells, and the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which prevents the distribution of therapeutics to the desired target site. Regarding apoptosis resistance, we propose a combination of apoptosis inducers (TMZ, Methotrexate, Cytarabine, 5-Azacytidine) and inhibition of apoptosis rescue molecules (Bcl-2-, Mcl-1-, XPO1-, PI3K-, and mTOR-inhibitors). The aim of this project is to systematically evaluate new and effective therapeutic combinations and subsequently apply them by passing the BBB via intracranial administration using microdialysis pumps. To achieve this, the lab plans to utilize cell culture models, murine and human brain tissue, and ultimately conduct investigations in mouse models and in patients.
