News and press releases

Researchers have discovered and analyzed a rare, yet serious, side effect of an innovative treatment against leukemia. The results of this study have now been published by scientists from Leipzig University Hospital, the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, and Cologne University Hospital in the prestigious medical journal “Nature Medicine”.

Prof. Dr. Frank Emmrich, founder of the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI, was presented with the Leipziger Lerche award on January 31st, 2025. This award modelled on the famous "Leipzig lark" pastry is endowed by Verein Gemeinsam für Leipzig e.V.

The International Laboratory Animal Technician Week (TechWeek) was held in Germany from January 27th to 31st, 2025. This annual series of events recognizes the work of animal keepers in experimental research involving animals. This year, the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI took part for the first time.

In November 2024, the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology obtained the DIN ISO 50001 certification. This certification confirms the successful implementation of an energy management system for the institute’s sites in Leipzig, Halle (Saale) and Rostock.

Researchers of Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology have published a review of the current global research and development status of non-viral vectors for producing CAR-T cells in the Nature Reviews Methods Primers journal.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI is a practice partner of the QualiBioPharma qualification program. The program, which is initiated and coordinated by biosaxony Management GmbH, was honored as "ClusterERFOLG" – cluster success – of the year 2024 at the "go-cluster" conference at the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) on September 12, 2024.

The Saxon SaxoCell future cluster is pleased to announce that it has been selected for the second funding phase by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). This decision by the ministry highlights the potential, as well as the successes, of SaxoCell, the pioneering cluster for innovative cell and gene therapies.

The Executive Board of Dresden Technical University has appointed PD Dr Stephan Fricke, Head of the Department of Cell and Gene Therapy Development, as adjunct professor at the TUD Faculty of Medicine with effect from 21 May 2024.

Together with Leipzig University Hospital and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI is researching the AI-based development of a tumor-specific CAR T-cell immunotherapy for the treatment of malignant melanoma.

Together, stakeholders from science, business, politics and society have developed a strategy paper to improve the translation of new research findings into medical care applications. The results were presented to Federal Minister of Education and Research, Bettina Stark-Watzinger, at the Futurium in Berlin on 12 June 2024.