Steroid hormones and cancer immunity – learning from adrenocortical carcinoma (B16)

• Subject Area: Endocrinology, Diabetology, Metabolism ; Hematology, Oncology
• Term: since 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 314061271

B16 focuses on the interaction between steroid hormones and cancer immunity in immunologically “cold” adrenocortical carcinoma. ROR1 was identified as a very suitable target antigen and was employed to engineer glucocorticoid-resistant ROR1-CAR-T cells. These led to the cure of adrenocortical carcinoma in a relevant proportion of animals in the mouse model and are the starting point for a worldwide first-in-human trial, which began in May 2025 (funding via NCT). In the final funding phase, we will also investigate the effects of sex hormones on CAR-T cell function and focus on optimizing their safety and efficacy in immunocompetent adrenocortical carcinoma mouse models and their clinical translation.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 205: The Adrenal: Central Relay in Health and Disease
• Applicant Institution: Technische Universität Dresden
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Martin Fassnacht; Professor Dr. Michael Hudecek, since 1/2026; Professor Matthias Kroiß, Ph.D., until 12/2025; Dr. Laura-Sophie Landwehr, since 1/2026