Research
Personalised Cancer Medicine: Kick-off Meeting for STAR-MBM
Personalised cancer medicine is at the heart of STAR-MBM, a research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and the European Union. At the kick-off meeting held on 5 October 2026 at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, partners from the international consortium gathered to discuss the next steps of their joint research programme and preliminary findings.
Participants included Michael Seifert (TU Dresden); Susann Groth and Josefine Radke (University Medicine Greifswald); Tanja Schildorfer and Torben Redmer (University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna); as well as Balázs Győrffy (Semmelweis University Budapest) and Frits Thorsen (University of Bergen).
Personalised Approaches to Overcoming Therapy Resistance
STAR-MBM stands for Strategy to Target Acquired Resistance in Melanoma Brain Metastases. The project, led by Torben Redmer of the Centre for Pathobiology at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, has been running since early April 2026. Its aim is to gain a better understanding of why treatments for melanoma brain metastases may lose their effectiveness over time.
Among the drugs used to treat melanoma brain metastases are agents that inhibit overactive BRAF kinase. These so-called BRAF inhibitors often show good initial efficacy. However, tumour cells can develop resistance, or may respond less effectively to treatment from the outset. As a result, the disease may continue to progress in the brain. This affects between 40 and 60% of patients.
The STAR-MBM consortium aims to decipher these resistance mechanisms using personalised research approaches. To this end, the project employs spatial transcriptomics, genetic profiling, as well as preclinical and in silico models. The research team has already found indications that the MET tyrosine kinase receptor may be activated in melanoma brain metastases and could contribute to therapy resistance. Building on these findings, the consortium will investigate and develop novel therapeutic approaches.
Note: The project is part of EP PerMed – the European Partnership for Personalised Medicine – under the Horizon Europe framework programme. In Austria, STAR-MBM is co-funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). In addition to the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, the consortium includes TU Dresden, University Medicine Greifswald, Semmelweis University Budapest and the University of Bergen.
