Menschikowski Lab - Epigenetics in Cancer

Epigenetics in Cancer

Menschilowski

Research Focus

We study the role of epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation in cancer to gain more insight into the regulation of cell growth and proliferation. One motivation of this work is the further development of new minimally or non-invasive methods such as liquid biopsies for early cancer detection.

The focus of our work is to improve the diagnosis of prostate and rectal cancer using freely circulating DNA isolated from blood or urine samples and the therapy control in acute leukemia patients. For example, the determination of prostate specific antigen as a screening method for prostate cancer results in a high number of invasive diagnostic tissue biopsies, which are often unnecessary and do not lead to the detection of prostate cancer. Here we are trying to reduce the number of unnecessary tissue biopsies with the help of new biomarkers in liquid biopsy.

Specific expertise

Molecular biology
Tumor biology
Cell signaling
Analytical chemistry

Lab Members

Adler, Romy	Technician	E-Mail
Friedemann, Markus	Project Leader	E-Mail
Prof. Dr. Menschikowski, Mario	Principal Investigator	E-Mail
Dr. Reeck, Franziska	Postdoc	E-Mail

Professional Experience

Since 2018 Head, Hematology Lab, Institut für Klinische Chemie und Laboratoriumsmedizin (IKL), Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden
Since 2015 Extraordinary professorship (Außerplanmäßige Professur), Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden
Since 2008, Group Leader in Epigenetics, Institut für Klinische Chemie und Laboratoriumsmedizin (IKL), Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden
2008 Habilitation, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden

1996 - 2007 Head, Endocrinology Lab, Institut für Klinische Chemie und Laboratoriumsmedizin (IKL), Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden
1996 PhD, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden
1996 Research Stay at Institut für Klinische Chemie, Mannheim, Universität Heidelberg, Prof. R. Kattermann
1990, Research Stay at Institut für Arteriosklerose-Forschung, WWU Münster, Prof. G. Assmann
1988, Research Stay at the Cardiology Center, Moscow, Russia, Prof. V.S. Repin
1986 - 1995 Researcher, Institut für Klinische Chemie und Laboratoriumsmedizin (IKL), Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden
1986 Diploma in Biochemistry, Universität Leipzig

Selected Publications

Friedemann M, Jandeck C, Tautz L, Gutewort K, von Rein L, Sukocheva O, Fuessel S, Menschikowski M. Blood-Based DNA Methylation Analysis by Multiplexed OBBPA-ddPCR to Verify Indications for Prostate Biopsies in Suspected Prostate Cancer Patients. Cancers (Basel). 2024 Mar 28;16(7):1324. doi: 10.3390/cancers16071324.
Vidovic M, Menschikowski M, Freigang M, Lapp HS, Günther R. Macrophage inclusions in cerebrospinal fluid following treatment initiation with antisense oligonucleotide therapies in motor neuron diseases. Neurol Res Pract. 2024 Feb 22;6(1):11. doi: 10.1186/s42466-023-00305-0.
von Renesse J, von Bechtolsheim F, Jonas S, Seifert L, Alves TC, Seifert AM, Komorek F, Tritchkova G, Menschikowski M, Bork U, Meisterfeld R, Distler M, Chavakis T, Weitz J, Funk AM, Kahlert C, Mirtschink P.Tumour catabolism independent of malnutrition and inflammation in upper GI cancer patients revealed by longitudinal metabolomics. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2023 Feb;14(1):298-309. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.13131.
Sukocheva OA, Lukina E, Friedemann M, Menschikowski M, Hagelgans A, Aliev G.The crucial role of epigenetic regulation in breast cancer anti-estrogen resistance: Current findings and future perspectives. Semin Cancer Biol. 2022 Jul;82:35-59. doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2020.12.004.
Friedemann M, Horn F., Gutewort K, Tautz L., Jandeck C, Bechmann N., Sukocheva O, Wirth M., Fuessel S., Menschikowski M. Increased Sensitivity of Detection of RASSF1A and GSTP1 DNA Fragments in Serum of Prostate Cancer Patients: Optimisation of Diagnostics Using OBBPA-ddPCR. Cancers 13; 10.3390/cancers13174459, 2021.
Friedemann M, Gutewort K, Thiem D, Nacke B, Jandeck C, Lange BS, Sukocheva O, Suttorp M, Menschikowski M. Methylation of the Phospholipase A2 Receptor 1 Promoter Region in Childhood B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. Scientific Reports 10: 9058, 2020.
Sukocheva OA, Furuya H, Ng ML, Friedemann M, Menschikowski M, Tarasov VV, Chubarev VN, Klochkov SG, Neganova ME, Mangoni AA, Aliev G, Bishayee A. Sphingosine kinase and sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor signaling pathway in inflammatory gastrointestinal disease and cancers: A novel therapeutic target. Pharmacol Ther. 207:107464, 2020
Sukocheva O, Menschikowski M, Hagelgans A, Yarla NS, Siegert G, Reddanna P, Bishayee A. Current insights into functions of phospholipase A2 receptor in normal and cancer cells: More questions than answers. Semin Cancer Biol. 56:116-127, 2019
Richter S, Gieldon L, Pang Y, Peitzsch M, Huynh T, Leton R, Viana B, Ercolino T, Mangelis A, Rapizzi E, Menschikowski M, Aust D, Kroiss M, Beuschlein F, Gudziol V, Timmers HJ, Lenders J, Mannelli M, Cascon A, Pacak K, Robledo M, Eisenhofer G, Klink B. Metabolome-guided genomics to identify pathogenic variants in isocitrate dehydrogenase, fumarate hydratase, and succinate dehydrogenase genes in pheochromocytoma. Genet Med. 21:705-717, 2019
Ng ML, Yarla NS, Menschikowski M, Sukocheva OA. Regulatory role of sphingosine kinase and sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor signaling in progenitor/stem cells. World J Stem Cells. 26:119-133, 2018
Menschikowski M, Jandeck C, Friedemann M, Nacke B, Hantsche S, Tiebel O, Sukocheva O, Hagelgans A. Identification of rare levels of methylated tumor DNA fragments using an optimized bias based pre-amplification-digital droplet PCR (OBBPA-ddPCR). Oncotarget. 9:36137-36150, 2018
Friedemann M, Nacke B, Hagelgans A, Jandeck C, Bechmann N, Ullrich M, Belter B, Neuber C, Sukocheva O, Pietzsch J, Menschikowski M. Diverse effects of phospholipase A2 receptor expression on LNCaP and PC-3 prostate cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Oncotarget. 9:35983-35996, 2018
Menschikowski M, Jandeck C, Friedemann M, Richter S, Thiem D, Lange BS, Suttorp M. Identification and Quantification of Heterogeneously-methylated DNA Fragments Using Epiallele-sensitive Droplet Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction (EAST-ddPCR). Cancer Genomics Proteomics. 15:299-312, 2018
Hagelgans A, Jandeck C, Friedemann M, Donchin A, Richter S, Menschikowski M. Identification of CpG Sites of SERPINA5 Promoter with Opposite Methylation Patterns in Benign and Malignant Prostate Cells. Anticancer Res. 37:6609-6618, 2017

Funding and Awards

	2024 – 2025: Research group "MultiMod", BMBF 2020 – 2023: Research group "Transistor-based microfluidic integrated circuits" (TransIC), BMBF 2019 – 2021: Research group "PRAEMED.BIO Testsysteme", BMBF 2016 – 2018: Research group "KMU-innovativ-16", BMBF 2018 – 2019: VDI project "INTERSEPT", BMBF 2011 – 2014: VDI project "FASTDIAGNOSTIC", BMBF
	2025 – 2026: Research Group „In situ-Nachweis von Nukleinsäuren“ BMWK, ZIM 2013 – 2015: Research group “Entwicklung digitaler PCR-basierter Nachweistechniken von viralen und bakteriellen respiratorischen Infektionen”, BMWI, ZIM
	1991 - 2001 Three research projects on "“Phospholipolyse-vermittelte Modifikationen von Lipoproteinen und deren Auswirkungen auf die Entstehung von atherosklerotischen Plaques”
	1995 Awardee “Graduierten-Stipendium der Sandoz-Stiftung für therapeutische Forschung”
Patents	Cancer Diagnostics Kit (EP000004419718A1) Cancer Diagnostics Kit (DE102021127535B3) Cancer Diagnostics (DE102010031354B3) Cancer Diagnostics through epigenetics (DE102017214449A1) Microfluidics (DE102012206042A1) Method and kit for diagnosing tumours (US2024/0417803 A1)

Collaborations

Collaborator Name	Institute	Collaboration Theme
Prof. A. Richter	IHM of TU Dresden	Development of Lab-on-Chip-Technologies
Dr. W. Lehmann/ Dr. S. Rödiger	BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg	Development of in situ-Technologies