F. Westermann

Medulloblastoma oncogene aberrations are not involved in tumor initiation, but essential for disease progression and therapy resistance

The paper uses single-cell technologies to show that large-scale chromosomal aberrations drive medulloblastoma initiation, while single-gene oncogenic events like MYC contribute to progression and therapy resistance.

Targeting MYCN upregulates L1CAM tumor antigen in MYCN-dysregulated neuroblastoma to increase CAR T cell efficacy

This paper shows that high MYCN levels in neuroblastoma reduce L1CAM expression, limiting CAR T cell efficacy, and that inhibiting MYCN with MLN8237 restores L1CAM and enhances CAR T cell activity.

Regulatory T cells control type 1-driven immunopathology restraining GM-CSF-producing helper T cells

This study identifies GM-CSF-producing helper T cells as drivers of immunopathology, showing Treg cells restrain them to prevent tissue damage in mice.

GM-CSF-mediated epithelial-immune cell crosstalk orchestrates pulmonary immunity to Aspergillus fumigatus

This study identifies GM-CSF produced by SPC+ epithelial cells as critical for neutrophil-mediated immunity against Aspergillus fumigatus, enhancing fungal killing and host survival.

Loss of p16INK4a in neuroblastoma cells induces shift to an immature state with mesenchymal characteristics and increases sensitivity to EGFR inhibitors

Chromatin accessibility combined with enhancer clusters activation mediates heterogeneous response to dexamethasone in myeloma cells

The paper investigates how chromatin accessibility and enhancer clusters mediate heterogeneous responses to dexamethasone in myeloma cells, showing epigenomic changes linked to transcriptional heterogeneity.

MYCN mediates cysteine addiction and sensitizes to ferroptosis

This study shows MYCN promotes cysteine addiction and ferroptosis resistance in neuroblastoma, identifying therapeutic targets for ferroptosis induction.

An immature subset of neuroblastoma cells synthesizes retinoic acid and depends on this metabolite

The paper identifies an immature neuroblastoma subset that synthesizes retinoic acid and is resistant to it, potentially contributing to therapy-resistant relapses.

A synergistic interaction between HDAC- and PARP inhibitors in childhood tumors with chromothripsis

The paper identifies a synergistic effect between HDAC and PARP inhibitors in childhood tumors with chromothripsis, validated through drug screening and in vivo models.

Testing of the survivin suppressant YM155 in a large panel of drug-resistant neuroblastoma cell lines

This study tests YM155 in 101 neuroblastoma cell lines, revealing ABCB1 and ABCC1 as mediators of resistance and highlighting cross-resistance differences between drug-adapted lines.

Cooperation of dominant oncogenes with regulatory germline variants shapes clinical outcomes in childhood cancer

This study shows how a dominant oncogene and regulatory germline variants together influence tumor growth, survival, and drug response in Ewing sarcoma.