Cell News 01/2020
13
MEETING REPORT
transcription factors, namely MiTF and Brn2 during melano-
ma initiation and progression. Both proteins show enhanced
expression in melanoma tumors with activating
β
-catenin
mutations. Romina Goldszmid from the NIH (Bethesda, USA)
highlighted the importance of the microbiome for regulation of
the tumor microenvironment. She was able to show that mice,
which had received a subcutaneous injection of carcinoma
cells, only responded well to an intratumoral immune therapy,
when they had their “native” microbiome. Mice treated with
antibiotics to distract the microbiome exhibited a significantly
lower survival rate after therapy. The suitability of different
molecular biomarkers for prediction of therapeutic response in
cancer was one topic of the session on ‘Tumor Biomarkers and
Oncogenes’. Carsten Denkert (Marburg, DE) concentrated on
triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). He presented a number
of data showing the potential synergism between classical
chemotherapy, which generates cancer antigens, and immune
checkpoint inhibition, which boosts the immune response to
the antigens. Importantly, care must be taken to identify those
patients profiting from a combination therapy. The immune
checkpoint protein PD-L1, for example, may serve as a bio-
marker for immune therapy response in metastatic, but not
early TNBC. Three talks selected from the abstracts accom-
plished this workshop.
The GBM Young Investigators, who organized a workshop on
‘Signaling from Intracellular Organelles’ had invited Viktor
Korolchuk from Newcastle upon Tyne (UK). Being committed
to ageing research, Korolchuk introduced the central role of
mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) and the
lysosomal compartment in cellular senescence. He explained
that the localization of lysosomes within the cells serves as
“platform” for mTORC1, thereby regulating mTORC1 signaling.
The first session on the third day was again committed to
‘Cancer and Infection’ and organized by the DGfI and its B-cell
study group. Claudia Kemper (Bethesda, USA) explained that
whereas the extracellular complement has long been known
to sense and combat pathogens, the intracellular complement
system (CD46, C3a, C3b) termed “complosome” has just re-
cently entered scientific literature. She clearly illustrated how
the complosome participates in maintaining normal physio-
logical conditions in numerous immune cells. Thomas Oellerich
(Frankfurt, DE) focused on the elucidation of oncogenic B cell
receptor (BCR) signaling in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DL-
BCL), more specifically in the subgroup of activated B cell-like
(ABC) lymphoma. The Oellerich laboratory used proteogenom-
ics to identify new drug targets, uncover mechanisms of drug
response, and identify predictive biomarkers. The last session
of the meeting was designated to calcium signaling. Jan Parys
from the University of Leuven (BE) opened the session with
his comprehensive presentation of the interrelation between
oncogenes, the IP3 receptor and subsequent calcium signaling
in cancer. As already mentioned, in all workshops four short
talks selected from the abstracts contributed to the scientific
program and provided an excellent overview on each of the
work shop topics.
It is a special feature of the STS Meeting that each participant
of the meeting has the opportunity to describe his/her research
in one of the two “My Poster in One Minute” session to the au-
dience, allowing the presenters to attract the audience to their
posters. Afterwards, the participants had the possibility to min-
gle with other scientists at the posters in a casual atmosphere,
to discuss presented data, and to establish contacts. The
chair people of the meeting selected five posters, which were
awarded prizes to a total value of 750 €. The support of young
scientist is a key concern of the STS. The STS grant committee
chose five students to receive travel grants of 250 € each to
allow their meeting attendance. Of these travel stipends, the
two Silver Sponsors of the meeting, Jackson ImmunoResearch
and Biomol, sponsored one grant each.
Another regular element of the annual STS Meetings is the STS
Science Award, a reward for excellent research by an early ca-
STS Science Award given to Dr. Claudia Stäubert (Leipzig) by Ingo
Schmitz (STS council)
STS-Poster prizes handed over by Friederike Berberich-Siebelt (left) and
Detlef Neumann (right) from the STS
