PD Dr. med. Niklas Klümper

Niklas Klümper is an advanced clinician-scientist who is supported by the renowned BMBF-funded ACCENT program. He leads a research group at the University Hospital Bonn that operates at the intersection of the Department of Urology and the Institute for Experimental Oncology (IEO). Klümper's primary focus is on uro-oncology, and his translational research team has made significant contributions to this field. His main goals include improving the accuracy of treatment response predictions for targeted therapies, developing personalized treatment approaches, and enhancing patient outcomes in uro-oncological diseases.

Klümper's team has showcased the potential to predict responses to immune checkpoint blockade by analyzing the longitudinal on-treatment serum kinetics of inflammatory markers. This innovative approach in immuno-oncology aims to forecast responses and emerging immune-related adverse events by studying the early longitudinal kinetics of inflammatory signals during immunotherapy. Currently, Klümper is investigating the kinetics of commonly used inflammatory serum markers, such as CRP and albumin, as well as employing unbiased methods utilizing ultra-deep quantitative proteomics. An additional advantage of this approach is that it utilizes clinically established, cost-effective, and non-invasive methods, such as determining the concentration of serum CRP+albumin, which can be readily integrated into daily clinical practice.

Furthermore, Klümper's team is actively studying resistance mechanisms to antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), a drug class that is increasingly utilized in clinical practice, particularly for patients with metastatic urothelial cancer. Their objective is to advance precision oncology by accurately selecting patients for ADC treatment based on their unique molecular profile and disease characteristics. This approach involves tailoring therapy to each patient, thereby enhancing treatment efficacy.

Moreover, Klümper's research extends to investigating the direct impact of ADC treatment on primary tumor tissue materials, including patient-derived tumor fragments, primary 2D cell lines, and innovative 3D cell culture models like the CAM assay. The primary goal is to identify rational combination therapies that can overcome ADC resistance mechanisms and maximize the effectiveness of these drugs.

ACS representative on the ACCENT Executive Board from May 2023 to July 2024