Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (LIT)

The Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (LIT) develops innovative therapies for the treatment of cancer, autoimmunity, and chronic inflammation. By reprogramming immune cells through synthetic and pharmacologic intervention, we build cells that save lives.

Our scientific activities are structured into three Research Areas: Discovery, Translation, and Clinical Application. All three work in synergy with one another. Our work starts with basic research into the areas of immune regulation, immune metabolism, cancer, and tissue homeostasis. It carries on with a focus on therapy development—spanning the creation of new formats of genetic and pharmacologic cell manipulation and drug-compliant manufacturing processes. Finally, we seek to apply our discoveries in early clinical trials on patients themselves.

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Discovery: This branch of research investigates the highly complex interactions of different immune cells—with each other and with the organism’s cells—to understand how the immune system maintains the health of the organism.
Translation: This area focuses specifically on the preclinical development of immune-cell therapeutics. This includes the identification, differentiation, expansion, and preclinical testing of therapeutically relevant immune cell populations.
Clinical Application: At the LIT, our core focus is on the clinical translation of scientific findings: We therefore place significant emphasis on the development and roll out of clinical trials and focus on the clinical implementation of the results.