Modern academic and clinical surgery increasingly demands a fundamental understanding of the individual’s tumor biology. State-of-the art oncologic research paves the way for in-depth characterization and investigation of molecular signatures responsible for carcinoma development. The focus of the Molecular Carcinogenesis Lab is to investigate the genomic and micro-environmental determinants responsible for pancreato-biliary tumor initiation and progression. We use modern tools like Next-Generation Sequencing, single-cell transcriptomics, genome engineering and three-dimensional tissue culture to address basic- and translational research questions around pancreato-biliary carcinogenesis.
Methodologies and projects
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Two- and Three-dimensional tissue cultures -
Gene editing of pancreato-biliary driver genes in-vitro -
Short- and long-read sequencing techniques -
Investigating the tumor microenvironment -
Single cell- and spatial transcriptomics of pancreato-biliary neoplasia
Our Team
Mengwen Hu
Research Fellow, Doctoral Student
Ruonan Wang
Research Fellow, Doctoral Student
Cao Zhong Jing Jin
Doctoral Student
Dou Ma
Research Fellow, Doctoral Student
Ann-Christin Amini
Doctoral Student
Sophie Dorfer
Doctoral Student
Jenny Tamboli
MSc Bioinformatics, Research fellow
Pedro Machado Pereira
Doctoral Student
Josephine Alisa Grandi
Doctoral Student
Luan Xiao-Hui
Research Fellow, Doctoral Student
Publications (Selection)
- Cytokine-armed vaccinia virus promotes cytotoxicity toward pancreatic carcinoma cells via activation of human intermediary CD56dimCD16dim natural killer cells. Wang R, Hu M, Lozzi I, Jin CZJ, Ma D, Splith K, Mengwasser J, Wolf V, Feldbrügge L, Tang P, Timmermann L, Hillebrandt KH, Kirchner M, Mertins P, Hilfenhaus G, Neumann CCM, Kammertoens T, Pratschke J, Malinka T, Sauer IM, Noessner E, Guo ZS, Felsenstein M. Int J Cancer. 2025; PMID: 39400317
- Clinical prognosticators and targets in the immune microenvironment of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Lozzi I, Arnold A, Barone M, Johnson JC, Sinn BV, Eschrich J, Gebert P, Wang R, Hu M, Feldbrügge L, Schirmeier A, Reutzel-Selke A, Malinka T, Krenzien F, Schöning W, Modest DP, Pratschke J, Sauer IM, Felsenstein M. Oncoimmunology. 2024. PMID: 39359389
- Multiregion whole-exome sequencing of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms reveals frequent somatic KLF4 mutations predominantly in low-grade regions. Fujikura K*, Hosoda W*, Felsenstein M*, Song Q, Reiter JG, Zheng L, Beleva Guthrie V, Rincon N, Dal Molin M, Dudley J, Cohen JD, Wang P, Fischer CG, Braxton AM, Noë M, Jongepier M, Fernández-Del Castillo C, Mino-Kenudson M, Schmidt CM, Yip-Schneider MT, Lawlor RT, Salvia R, Roberts NJ, Thompson ED, Karchin R, Lennon AM, Jiao Y, Wood LD. Gut. 2020; PMID: 33028669
- Generation and characterization of a cell line from an intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas. Felsenstein M, Trujillo MA, Huang B, Nanda N, Jiang Z, Jeong YJ, Pflüger M, Goggins MG, Hruban RH, Thompson ED, Heaphy CM, Roberts NJ, Wood LD. Lab Invest. 2020; PMID: 32005909
- IPMNs with co-occurring invasive cancers: neighbours but not always relatives. Felsenstein M, Noë M, Masica DL, Hosoda W, Chianchiano P, Fischer CG, Lionheart G, Brosens LAA, Pea A, Yu J, Gemenetzis G, Groot VP, Makary MA, He J, Weiss MJ, Cameron JL, Wolfgang CL, Hruban RH, Roberts NJ, Karchin R, Goggins MG, Wood LD. Gut 2018; PMID: 29500184
- New Developments in the Molecular Mechanisms of Pancreatic Tumorigenesis. Felsenstein M, Hruban RH, Wood LD. Adv Anat Pathol 2018; PMID: 28914620
- Molecular characterization of organoids derived from pancreatic intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms. Huang B, Trujillo MA, Fujikura K, Qiu M, Chen F, Felsenstein M, Zhou C, Skaro M, Gauthier C, Macgregor-Das A, Hutchings D, Hong SM, Hruban RH, Eshleman JR, Thompson ED, Klein AP, Goggins M, Wood LD, Roberts NJ. J Pathol. 2020
- Recurrent Rearrangements in PRKACA and PRKACB in Intraductal Oncocytic Papillary Neoplasms of the Pancreas and Bile Duct. Singhi AD, Wood LD, Parks E, Torbenson MS, Felsenstein M, Hruban RH, Nikiforova MN, Wald AI, Kaya C, Nikiforov YE, Favazza L, He J, McGrath K, Fasanella KE, Brand RE, Lennon AM, Furlan A, Dasyam AK, Zureikat AH, Zeh HJ, Lee K, Bartlett DL, Slivka A. Gastroenterology. 2020
- Prevalence of Germline Mutations Associated With Cancer Risk in Patients With Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms. Skaro M, Nanda N, Gauthier C, Felsenstein M, Jiang Z, Qiu M, Shindo K, Yu J, Hutchings D, Javed AA, Beckman R, He J, Wolfgang CL, Thompson E, Hruban RH, Klein AP, Goggins M, Wood LD, Roberts NJ. Gastroenterology 2019
Funding
Projects of Dr. med. M Felsenstein are currently funded by:
- BIH – Berlin Institute of Health and the Charité, Clinician Scientist Program
- Berliner Krebsgesellschaft (BKG), FEFF202108
- Else Kröner Fresenius Stiftung (EKFS, 2022_EKEA.74)
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