Decoding the neural biology of pancreatic disease.
Our group combines pancreatic surgery, cancer biology, neuroscience and translational medicine to understand how the nervous system shapes disease progression, treatment resistance and pain — and to turn these mechanisms into therapeutic opportunities.
From mechanisms to translation.
Neuron–Cancer Synapses
Pancreatic cancer cells establish direct contact with neurons. We study how these connections arise, what they do for the tumour, and whether they can be disrupted therapeutically.
Neural Invasion & the Neural Niche
Neural invasion — the growth of tumour cells along nerves — is a hallmark of pancreatic cancer and considerably worsens prognosis. We investigate how cancer cells enter nerves, survive there and spread, and what role Schwann cells and the perineural environment play.
Pancreatic Neuropathy & Pain
Severe abdominal and back pain is the most burdensome symptom of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. We dissect the molecular and neuro-immune mechanisms of this pain and test analgesics preclinically.
Neuro–Immune–Stromal Crosstalk
Neurons, immune cells, fibroblasts and cancer cells form shared signalling networks. We study how this interplay drives inflammation, neural plasticity and tumour progression — including after neoadjuvant therapy.
Translational Models & Therapeutic Targeting
Human tissue from surgery, organotypic cultures, neuronal co-cultures and in vivo systems connect mechanism and application. This is how we test which targets can carry an intervention.
Translational Pancreatic Surgery
Endowed professorship at the Department of Surgery, TUM University Hospital — awarded to Prof. Dr. Dr. Ihsan Ekin Demir in 2020
The professorship funds our work on neural invasion in pancreatic cancer. It has allowed us to identify molecular pathways that let tumours grow along nerves — and to pursue the goal behind them: a drug that blocks the interaction between tumour and nerve cells, and with it improves prognosis. The Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung created this funding line to give clinician scientists protected time for research alongside clinical work.
The foundation selected our Cancer Cell paper on glutamatergic neuron–cancer pseudo-synapses as its Paper of the Month. Read more
From the operating room to the mechanism — and back.
Our identity is the bridge between clinical pancreatic surgery and mechanistic neuroscience.
- Patient
- Surgery
- Human tissue
- Experimental model
- Mechanism
- Therapeutic concept
Our work is supported by
Logos are the property of the respective organisations and indicate funding of our work.
We take our questions directly from human tissue — and return the answers to where they came from.
Working on nerve–tumour interaction, pancreatic cancer or surgical outcomes research? We welcome enquiries about collaborations.
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