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Berger Lab

Walter Berger, Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr.

Deputy Head of Center

Research Focus

By far the majority of cancer deaths are caused by disseminated solid tumors exhibiting therapy resistance. Consequently, our translational and multidisciplinary cooperation projects focus on the development of novel therapeutic strategies in highly therapy-refractory cancers including lung cancer, mesothelioma, brain tumors and melanoma.

Thereby we aim on the:

  1. identification of genetic and molecular factors driving solid tumor aggressiveness and therapy resistance thus representing potential targets for therapeutic interventions;
  2. development of novel anticancer agents and drug combinations allowing to avoid therapy failure and resistance development.

Selected Publications

Fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 promotes glioblastoma progression: a central role of integrin-mediated cell invasiveness
Gabler L, Jaunecker CN, Katz S, van Schoonhoven S, Englinger B, Pirker C, Mohr T, Vician P, Stojanovic M, Woitzuck V, Laemmerer A, Kirchhofer D, Mayr L, LaFranca M, Erhart F, Grissenberger S, Wenninger-Weinzierl A, Sturtzel C, Kiesel B, Lang A, Marian B, Grasl-Kraupp B, Distel M, Schüler J, Gojo J, Grusch M, Spiegl-Kreinecker S, Donoghue DJ, Lötsch D, Berger W.
Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2022 Apr 28;10(1):65. doi: 10.1186/s40478-022-01363-2.

Molecular and Pharmacological Bladder Cancer Therapy Screening: Discovery of Clofarabine as a Highly Active Compound
Ertl IE, Lemberger U, Ilijazi D, Hassler MR, Bruchbacher A, Brettner R, Kronabitter H, Gutmann M, Vician P, Zeitler G, Koren A, Lardeau CH, Mohr T, Haitel A, Compérat E, Oszwald A, Wasinger G, Clozel T, Elemento O, Kubicek S, Berger W, Shariat SF.
Eur Urol. 2022 Apr 4:S0302-2838(22)01678-5. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2022.03.009.

The Anticancer Ruthenium Compound BOLD-100 Targets Glycolysis and Generates a Metabolic Vulnerability towards Glucose Deprivation
Baier D, Schoenhacker-Alte B, Rusz M, Pirker C, Mohr T, Mendrina T, Kirchhofer D, Meier-Menches SM, Hohenwallner K, Schaier M, Rampler E, Koellensperger G, Heffeter P, Keppler B, Berger W.
Pharmaceutics. 2022 Jan 20;14(2):238. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14020238.

Telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter mutations identify a genomically defined and highly aggressive human pleural mesothelioma subgroup.
Pirker C, Bilecz A, Grusch M, Mohr T, Heidenreich B, Laszlo V, Stockhammer P, Lötsch-Gojo D, Gojo J, Gabler L, Spiegl-Kreinecker S, Doeme B, Steindl A, Klikovits T, Hoda MA, Jakopovic M, Samarzija M, Mohorcic K, Kern I, Kiesel B, Brcic L, Oberndorfer F, Müllauer L, Klepetko W, Schmidt WM, Kumar R, Hegedus B, Berger W.
Clin Cancer Res. 2020 Jul 15;26(14):3819-3830. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-19-3573.

Lipid droplet-mediated scavenging as novel intrinsic and adaptive resistance factor against the multikinase inhibitor ponatinib.
Englinger B, Laemmerer A, Moser P, Kallus S, Röhrl C, Pirker C, Baier D, Mohr T, Niederstaetter L, Meier-Menches SM, Gerner C, Gabler L, Gojo J, Timelthaler G, Senkiv J, Jäger W, Kowol CR, Heffeter P, Berger W.
Int J Cancer. 2020 Sep 15;147(6):1680-1693. doi: 10.1002/ijc.32924.

Single-cell RNA-seq reveals cellular hierarchies and impaired developmental trajectories in pediatric ependymoma.
Gojo J, Englinger B, Jiang L, et al., Berger W, Kool M, Filbin MG.
Cancer Cell. 2020 Jul 13;38(1):44-59.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2020.06.004.

Metal drugs and the anticancer immune response.
Englinger B, Pirker C, Heffeter P, Terenzi A, Kowol CR, Keppler BK, Berger W.
Chem Rev. 2019 Jan 23;119(2):1519-1624. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00396.

All Publications

PubmedDatabase

Presentation Walter Berger, Petra Heffeter

Play

Financial Support

  • EU/COST
  • FFG
  • Fonds des Bürgermeisters der Bundeshauptstadt Wien
  • FWF Der Wisschenschaftsfonds: P19920, P17630, L212, L568, P22072
  • Hochschuljubiläumsstiftung der Stadt Wien
  • IMI2
  • Jubiläumsfonds der Österreichischen Nationalbank
  • OEAD with Ukraine (National Academy of Science) and Hungary (Koranyi Institut)
  • Inter-university clusterproject of Uni Vienna and MedUni Vienna: Novel Anticancer Agents – from Design to Clinical Translation
  • Pharmaceutical Companies