The results are as impressive as they are nuanced. One of the therapies analysed led to a complete regression of the disease in significantly more patients and inhibited the progression of the cancer over a longer period of time. However, success is not only determined by the drug itself, but also by the condition of the tumour, the fitness of the body's own defence cells and the level of inflammation in the body.
With the help of high-resolution single-cell analyses, the researchers were able to show why a stronger effect also entails new risks. Certain immune cells multiply more intensively, which fights cancer more effectively but can also favour side effects. This is precisely where a new follow-up project, which is being funded with more than two million euros, comes in. The aim is to better control immunotherapies in future and to combine them sensibly with other modern active substances. This will not only make personalised cancer medicine more effective, but also more predictable.
Press release from "Universität Leipzig" dated 11 December 2025