Buchholz Lab Publication Alert
Our new study “A base editing platform for the correction of cancer driver mutations unmasks conserved p53 transcription programs” reveals how correcting TP53 mutations uncovers universal cancer weaknesses!
You can read the full publication here.
In our study, we aimed to functionally and transcriptionally profile cancer driver mutations, with a primary focus on TP53 - the most frequently mutated gene in human cancer. Using adenine base editing (ABE), we precisely corrected two TP53 hotspot mutations in a range of human cancer cell lines from different tissues.
Remarkably, correcting TP53 mutations revealed a highly conserved transcriptional p53 response following mutation correction, suggesting that the effects of TP53 hotspot mutations are largely independent of tumor origin and co-occurring mutations. Our platform can be adapted to study other key cancer driver mutations, offering a window into the unique ways different mutations enable cancer cells to survive and thrive. By mapping these mutation-specific dependencies, our work opens the door to more personalized and effective cancer treatments.
Congratulations to everyone involved!
ERC Advanced Grant “Reloaded”!
We are thrilled to announce that Frank Buchholz has been awarded the highly competitive European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant.
His project titled “DNA-binding domain Conditioned Precision Genome Editing” has been selected for funding!
This prestigious grant is a testimony to Frank's innovative research and significant contributions to genome editing.
After his first ERC Advanced Grant “Gensurge” from 2018 to 2024, this second ERC Grant aims at lifting recombination-based genome editing to the next level.
Find out more in the TU Dresden press release!
Also read ERC press release
New research project on CRISPR technologies in national funding initiative
Our research group has received funding of 117,000 EUR for our research project titled "Pioneering molecular surgery with CRISPR technologies for personalized lung cancer therapy."
As part of the newly established national funding initiative "National Funding of Translational Projects in the Field of Gene and Cell Therapy and Associated Diagnostics," Shady Sayed from our lab and Annina Meerz from the NCT will aim to develop groundbreaking molecular surgical techniques using CRISPR technologies to enable personalized therapy approaches for lung cancer patients.
Background: The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding projects at the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) for the further development of gene- and cell-based therapies and corresponding diagnostics. The goal of this initiative is to accelerate the development of these therapies into market-ready products and to promote collaboration between academic, non-academic, and industrial partners.
For more details, please visit the BIH website.
Medical Revolution from Saxony: CAR-T Cell Therapies in Focus
Take a look at this news article about SaxoCell, a research cluster funded by the BMBF, in which our lab is actively involved!
Milica Jelicic honoured with Carl-Gustav-Carus-Förderpreis 2024
On January 28, 2025, the Carl-Gustav-Carus-Förderpreis 2024 was awarded at the Faculty of Medicine of TU Dresden in recognition of outstanding scientific achievements.
One of the awardees is Milica Jelicic, a former doctoral and postdoctoral researcher in our research group. She was honored for her dissertation on the topic of “Discovery and evolution of novel Cre-type site-specific recombinases for advanced genome engineering”, where she focusses on identifying and analyzing new tyrosine-type site-specific recombinases (Y-SSRs) that can be utilized in genome engineering.
Milica’s findings suggest that these newly identified recombinases have significant potential for advanced genome engineering, offering highly precise tools for targeted genetic modifications. Consequently, they expand the repertoire of site-specific recombinases, which is critical for the development of sophisticated genetic manipulation strategies across diverse biological systems.
The Carl-Gustav-Carus-Förderpreis highlights TU Dresden’s and its partners’ commitment to promoting and recognizing excellent scientific work. It provides early-career researchers with a valuable platform to showcase their research and gain recognition for their contributions.
Link to TU Dresden press release
We are co-organising the DG-GT 2025 Annual Meeting!
We are excited to host the upcoming DG-GT Annual Meeting in Dresden, focusing on the theme "From lab to life – Genome editing towards therapies."
We are organizing the meeting together with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gentherapie e.V. and SaxoCell.
Our 2025 event, taking place at Deutsches Hygiene-Museum, will bring together leading experts in cell and gene therapy.
Join us for two days of engaging presentations and fruitful discussions!
Further details about the event - including a preview of the programme - can be found on the DG-GT website.
Liliya Mukhametzyanova receives Dr Walter Seipp Prize
Liliya Mukhametzyanova was awarded the Commerzbank Foundation's Dr Walter Seipp Prize for her dissertation on ‘Increasing the utility of evolved site-specific recombinases for genome editing’. With this award, the foundation honours Liliya's excellent research work.
In her dissertation, written under the supervision of Prof Dr Frank Buchholz and completed with ‘summa cum laude’ in 2023, Liliya developed a new, pioneering method for correcting errors that can occur in genetic material with the utmost precision.
She presents a novel gene editing approach that combines tyrosine-specific recombinases with zinc finger DNA-binding domains. The results of this work led to both a patent and a first author publication in the renowned journal Nature Biotechnology.
After completing her doctorate at TU Dresden, Liliya moved to Seamless Therapeutics GmbH, a spin-off of our lab, where she has since continued to work on the development of recombinase technology as a senior scientist.
SaxoCell enters second phase of funding!
We are excited to share that SaxoCell has been chosen by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and an independent expert panel to receive funding for a second phase in the Clusters4Future initiative. This recognition underscores SaxoCell's potential and accomplishments as a leading cluster in the field of innovative cell and gene therapies.
The Buchholz Lab will continue to be part of SaxoCell – in the projects UniKT and Edit-Save.
TU Dresden press release
BMBF press release
SaxoCell website
Lukas Theo Schmitt honoured for his PhD thesis
On 27 April 2024, the DRESDEN EXCELENCE AWARD was presented to four graduates of Dresden universities by Lord Mayor Dirk Hilbert who honoured their outstanding scientific theses.
Among the awardees is Lukas Theo Schmitt, who conducted his PhD research in Prof. Frank Buchholz's research group, for which he was honoured.
In his thesis titled “Prediction of designer-recombinases for DNA editing with generative deep learning”, Lukas developed an algorithm to predict the activity for a class of enzymes that are used in precision genome editing. Using a generative deep learning approach called RecGen, he was able to generate new recombinases for specific genomic DNA target sites. Experimental studies confirmed the effectiveness of RecGen. A new method for precise sequencing of recombinases and counting of DNA editing events was also established to support the further development of RecGen.
German press release on Dresden homepage