The German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) is one of six German Health Research Centers (DZG). Its establishment in 2012 laid the foundation for a national translation platform and a long-term network of top institutions and experts from various disciplines and areas of cancer research. The aim is to significantly accelerate the transfer of promising results from the laboratory to clinical application in order to improve and personalize the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. With the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) as its core center, more than 20 academic research institutions and university hospitals at seven partner sites are cooperating.
The DKTK partner site Berlin is integrated into the Charité and works closely with the Charité Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCCC) in the field of personalized tumor medicine. Research in Berlin is characterized especially by the development of new approaches in cancer immunotherapy and research in tumor evolution. Further focus topics are: research of molecular signaling pathways involved in the development and progression of cancer, studies on interactions between tumor and their environment, and the development of preclinical models for different types of tumor.