Prof. Dr. Dr. Ralf Hass

Scholarships/awards

Fellowships/awards:

1985
Schilling-Stiftung Scholarship for studies at the University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
Fellowship from the Schilling-Stiftung Foundation for studies at the University of California, San Diego, (UCSD) CA, USA

1986
Boehringer Ingelheim Fellowship for research at Boehringer Ingelheim, Richfield, CT and at the New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USAFellowshipfrom the
Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation for studies at Boehringer Ingelheim, Richfield, CT and at the New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA

1988
Dissertation award from the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie
Ph.D. award from the Fonds of the Chemical Industry

1990 - 1992
Two-year DFG research fellowship for work at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Two-year post-doc fellowship from the German Research Foundation (DFG) for studies at the Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

1993 - 1995
Two-year DFG habilitation fellowship for work at the Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA and for habilitation at the Hannover Medical School (MHH)
Two-year habilitation fellowship and research grant from the German Research Foundation (DFG) for studies at the Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

1996
Post-graduate fellowship from the Boehringer Ingelheim Fund
Post-Habilitation fellowship from the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation

2004
Mentor for guest scientists from the International Academy of Life Science (IALS)(www.lifesciences.net)
Mentor for research fellows in the International Academy of Life Science (IALS) (www.lifesciences.net)

2016
Honorary membership of the Signal Transduction Society (STS)(www.sigtrans.de)
Honorary membership of the Signal Transduction Society (STS) (www.sigtrans.de)

2020
Heinrich Maass Memorial Award for Breast Cancer Research
Heinrich-Maass-memory award for breast cancer research

Current research projects

present research project

Working group BIOCHEMISTRY AND TUMOR BIOLOGY
BIOCHEMISTRY and TUMOR BIOLOGY lab
Clinical Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics
clinic of Gynecology

The interdisciplinarity of our projects provide an excellent platform to translate our stem cell research, particularly with respect to mesenchymal stroma/stem cells (MSC) and MSC-derived components such as exosomes, along in vivo models further into the clinic. Initial clinical trials allow optimistic future perspectives to pursue a potentially beneficial use of our stem cell preparations and their products (e.g. exosomes) in various human diseases.

1. stem cells und Exosomen / stem cells and exosomes

• Stem cell isolation (mesenchymal stromal/stem cells = MSC) from various tissues and prospective clinical use
• stem cell isolation (mesenchymal stroma-/stem-like cells = MSC) derived from different tissues and prospective clinical applications

a) Characterization and expansion of MSC by in vitro cultivation
a) characterization and expansion of MSC in vitro culture

b) Differentiation of MSC into specialized cell populations
b) differentiation of MSC along specialized maturation pathways

c) Clinical application possibilities of MSC for regenerative and possible curative effects during injuries/different diseases
c) Clinical application possibilities of MSC for regenerative and/or curative effects during injuries/different diseases

d) Isolation and characterization of MSC-derived exosomes for potential clinical applications
d) Isolation and characterization of MSC-derived exosomes for potential clinical applications

e) Application possibilities of MSC-derived exosomesas a cell-free system for regenerative and potential curative effects during injuries and various different diseases
e) application possibilities of MSC-derived exosomes as a cell-free system for regenerative and/or curative effects during injuries and various different diseases

2. patient-specific tumor medicine / patient-specific anti-tumor medicine

• Establishment of tumor primary cell cultures (breast carcinoma and ovarian carcinoma) of patients from tumor operations and tissue biopsies
• Establishment of tumor primary cultures (mammary and ovarian carcinoma) of patients following tumor surgery or biopsy

a) molecular characterization of tumor cell growth and associated signaling mechanisms
a) molecular characterization of cancer cell proliferation and associated signaling mechanisms

b) Investigation of the mode of action of estrogens and gestagens (HRT) on mammary carcinoma primary cell cultures
b) role of estrogens and gestagens (HRT) in primary cultures of mammary carcinoma

c) Investigation of the mode of action of different chemotherapeutic agents in carcinomas and associated tissue metastases
c) role of different chemotherapeutic compounds in primary tumors and tissue metastases

d) Personalized anti-tumor medicine: primary cell cultures with inhibition of specific signal pathways to optimize patient-specific chemotherapeutic concentrations(personalized chemosensitivity- assays)
d) personalized anti-tumor medicine: inhibition of distinct signal pathways in tumor-derived primary cultures to optimize patient-specific chemotherapeutic concentrations( à personalized chemosensitivity assays)

e) Studies on pharmacokinetic and chronobiological influences on carcinoma primary cell cultures
e) role of pharmacokinetic and chronobiological modifications on tumor primary cultures

3. tumor heterogeneity through fusion and exosometherapy / tumor heterogeneity by cancer cell fusion and therapeutic intervention using exosomes

• Spontaneous cell fusion after co-cultivation of MSC with tumor cells and generation of new tumor cell types by fusion with MSC
• Spontaneous cell fusion following co-culture of MSC together with cancer cells and generation of new cancer cell populations after fusion with MSC

a) Characterization of new tumor cell types in vitro and in vivo
a) Characterization of new cancer cell populations in vitro and in vivo

b) Identification of tumor stem cells by fusion or retrodifferentiation
b) identification of cancer stem cells after fusion or by retrodifferentiation

c) Investigation of tumor-therapeutic approaches for the new hybrid tumor cells
c) Characterization of tumor-therapeutic approaches to target the new cancer hybrid cells

d) Use ofMSC-derived exosomes (see above) asa vehicle for a tumor- specific addressing of chemotherapeutic agents
d) application of MSC-derived exosomes (see above) as a vehicle for a tumor- specific addressing of chemotherapeutic agents

Literature / references:

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2481-7547