ReachHigher with Dr. Tabea Sturmheit

Lecture: “Colorectal Cancer Therapy Design 3.0” (Lecture Language: English)

On October 23, 2023, Tabea Sturmheit will be a guest at ReachHigher at the UMFST-UMCH Campus in Hamburg. In her lecture entitled “Colorectal Cancer Therapy Design 3.0”, she will provide fascinating insights into the future of cancer therapy and present the latest developments.

In metastatic colorectal cancer, patients usually undergo a set examination with many “tests” in which tissue samples are examined for individual changes in the genetic material. The major challenge here is to predict how the patients will respond to chemotherapy. Although chemotherapy has been the main treatment for cancer since 1957, there is still no clear indication of who will respond well. Decisions about the appropriate chemotherapy are often based on the experience and feelings of the doctors treating the patient. Therefore, some patients unfortunately have to endure the negative effects of chemotherapy without receiving any real benefit from it.

Tabea Sturmheit poses the question: What if we could test in advance which type of chemotherapy works best against each patient’s tumor cells? At ReachHigher, she will talk about functional in vitro drug sensitivity testing with patient-specific avatars that are being developed to become common clinical practice. These tests could help us predict which chemotherapy will be most effective in individual patients, enabling personalized and effective cancer treatment.

Dr. Sturmheit has a background in cancer biology and immunology. She earned a PhD in cellular and molecular biology from San Raffaele University in Milan (Italy) and has worked in several academic research labs across Europe prior to joining the 2cureX research department in 2017. In her current function as Director of Market Access Germany, Dr. Sturmheit is paving the way to making IndiTreat®, a functional drug sensitivity test, broadly available to patients with metastatic colorectal cancer in Germany.

2cureX is a leader in cancer drug sensitivity testing and has developed the IndiTreat® (Individual Treatment) family of tests. Starting from a sample of the patient’s tumor, IndiTreat® creates hundreds of 3D replicas (tumoroids) and predicts the tumor response to the different available drugs, providing the physician with valuable information to make the treatment decisions.

The first three IndiTreat® tests are aimed at optimizing treatment decisions in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Additional tests are under development to cover other stages of colorectal cancer as well as other gastrointestinal cancers.

ReachHigher

Entertaining, innovative and condensed: At ReachHigher, experts from a network of extraordinary personalities give lectures on the topics of medicine and research as well as leadership/motivation.

UMFST-UMCH’s ReachHigher lecture series pushes and strengthens the know-how of our students as well as their personal development – beyond their daily schedule. We look forward to accompanying you on your individual way to self-realization!

Learn more about it!