Michael Platten is the winner of the “Breakthrough of the Year 2024” in the Life Sciences category of the Falling Walls Foundation.

Michael Platten's research has a major goal: He wants to advance the cure of one of the deadliest forms of brain tumours, known as gliomas.

His work has shown that the immune system of patients can be mobilised with the help of novel vaccines against this form of cancer.

The body's own defences are then able to take very precise action against modified proteins that drive tumour growth.

Michael Platten will be honoured for his groundbreaking findings with the “Breakthrough of the Year 2024” award from the Falling Wall Foundation in Berlin on November 9, 2024.

Platten is head of the Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumour Immunology at the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) and director of the Department of Neurology at the University Medical Centre Mannheim (UMM).

Since October, Platten has also been president of the European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO).

His involvement in clinical practice is an essential element of Platten's scientific success: “My inspiration comes primarily from the patients who struggle with this devastating disease every day,” says Platten.

He believes it is of central importance that scientists develop solutions that bring real, tangible improvements to people's lives, the cancer researcher continues.

Breaking the wall of brain tumour vaccines

Clinical trials have already confirmed that his idea of activating the immune system with the help of vaccines against tumour cells works.

In these trials, the vaccines proved to be safe and effective.

The proof that his vaccine can trigger a targeted immune response in a patient's brain tumour was a breakthrough moment for him, says Platten.

Precision tumour therapy

What makes Platten's findings so special is the precision with which the immune system can attack cancer cells after activation by the novel vaccines: it recognises tiny differences between normal proteins and those with cancer-causing mutations in their blueprint.

His team has discovered that the so-called IDH1 mutation in particular plays a key role in many gliomas.

This mutation occurs in almost 70 percent of low-grade, or slow-growing, gliomas.

The immunotherapy developed by Platten targets precisely this IDH1 mutation in order to generate a broad and effective immune response that encompasses all tumour cells, even if they differ genetically from one another.

Cancer cells can thus be eliminated very specifically.

Application not only against brain tumours

Using advanced bioinformatics and molecular biology tools, his team has developed specific cellular immunotherapies that can potentially be used not only against brain tumours but also against other types of cancer.

The idea behind this is that the identified mutations are present in all of a patient's tumour cells, which is crucial for the vaccines to be effective.

Platten also wants his research to inspire the next generation of scientists.

His advice to young researchers is: “Be brave, ask questions, work in teams and share your knowledge. And if necessary, don't be afraid to break into completely new fields of research.”

Source: German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ)