Grundlagenforschung | Forschungslabor
Patient-derived Organoids in Gynecological Oncology and Biology of Reproduction


Core mission
Located in the Munich City center, in the LMU Hospital Campus Innenstadt, next to the new LMU Polyclinic, our research lab focuses on the main fundamental biological processes, that need to be understood to further advance the fields of Gynaecological Oncology and Reproduction medicine and develop new therapeutic and diagnostic solutions of the future. By complementing the activities of the clinicians in daily management of patients, our scientists and students focus on individual characteristics of each patient and develop strategies for faster implementation of the personalized medicine approaches in the lab. To achieve this, we are specialized in generation of patient derived organoid models, based on preservation of progenitor potential of the patient`s tissues in complex 3D cell culture models.
We have successfully generated biobank of EOC ovarian cancer organoids, covering broad spectrum different histological types and stages of diseases, cohorts of organoids from fallopian tubes and endometrium, as well as collection of lines from distinct deposits of endometriosis tissue. In a range of multidisciplinary and collaborative projects and interaction with wide network of national and international partners we use organoids to investigate molecular basis of disease development in genital tract, cellular mechanisms which regulate cancer progression and response to therapy (e.g stemness mechanisms, epigenetics, DNA repair machinery, and mode of action of targeted therapies in vitro. Integration of molecular genetic tools ( shRNA, CRISPR/Cas9) in organoid culture as well as diverse analytic tools (sc-RNA sequencing, bulk-transcriptomics, Chip-seq) enable us to rigorously test new hypotheses and elucidate causative relationships within cellular pathways.
Research groups
AG Kessler
AG Kolben
AG Trillsch
AG von Schönfeldt
Clinical Scientists (MCSP LMU)
Dr. med Anca Chelariu Raicu
PD.Dr Sarah Meister
Dr.med Juliane Reichenbach
Associated researchers
PD Dr. med. Susanne Beyer
Dr. med. Johanna Becker
PD Dr. med. Alexander Burges
PD Dr. med. Bastian Czogalla
Dr. med. Franziska Ganster
Dr. med. Friederike Hagemann
PD Dr. med. Ana Hester
Dr. med. Simon Keckstein
Dr. med. Fabian Kraus
Dr. med. Nicole Topalov
Dr. med. Christina Tauber
Dr. med. Lennard Schröder
Dr. med. Christina Seifert
Dr. med. Liu Yishan

Head of the Lab
Dr. rer.nat Mirjana Kessler
Deputy
Dr. med. Anca Chelariu Raicu

Technicians (MTAs)
Simone Hofmann
Tel: +(89) 4400 5425
Maria Fischer
Tel:+(89) 4400 54256
Martina Rahmeh
Tel:+ (89) 4400 54704
Sabine Fink
Tel:+ (89) 4400 54361
Cornelia Herbst
Tel:+ (89) 4400 54361

Doctoral Students (Dr.med)
Muska Ahmadsei
Dana de Beyer
Juste Cioraityte
Antonia Heimlich
Lillia Hladchenko
Alexandra Scharitzer
Friederike Kallenberg
Lilly von Kenne
Beimenbetova Zeinesh
Helena Stilianakis
Lisa Henkel
Pia Seidel
Sophia Hierlmayer
Isabel Rummeny
Sophie Mieter
Lena Müller
Christina Schramm
Doctoral Students (PhD and Dr.rer.nat)
Sophia Geweniger
Tingyu Zhang


May 2023 Start of the OVA-PDM, ERA PerMed consortium for identification of new biomarkers of PARPi response
March-April 2023 Moving of the Lab to the new space in Pettenkoferstraße 9b


