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How can basic research, translational research, clinical innovation, and new technologies be linked even more closely in the future? What role can artificial intelligence play in improving oncological diagnostics, prevention, and therapy?

These questions were the focus of the ninth Cancer Core Europe (CCE) Summer School in Translational Cancer Research 2025, which brought together committed young scientists and clinicians from all over Europe and beyond in Portugal at the beginning of October.

A total of 66 participants from 25 countries came together to discuss current developments in cancer research and medicine. Staff from the NCT Heidelberg, the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD), and the Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ) were also actively involved—as speakers, participants, and members of the organizing team.

The summer school provided a lively platform for dialogue between research and clinical practice. The presentations covered a wide range of current topics – from precision medicine and clinical trials to immunotherapies, early detection, and liquid biopsies to the tumor microenvironment, cancer survivorship, and artificial intelligence in oncology. Two of the specialist presentations were given by researchers from Heidelberg: Cécile Ronckers, DKFZ, spoke on “Late effects after cancer in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood (CAYA): from risk factors to long-term survivorship care.” Jakob Nikolas Kather, TU Dresden and NCT Heidelberg, provided insight into “Large Language Models (LLM) and AI-supported systems in oncology and cancer research.”

In practical workshops, participants discussed the cBioPortal visualization solution for genome data analysis, science communication, and the use of AI tools in scientific writing and project management. The workshop on patient participation in research was led by Cindy Körner and Priya Chudasama, both from NCT Heidelberg and DKFZ, as well as Bruno Köhler, NCT Heidelberg and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck.

The young researchers presented a wide variety of exciting topics in cancer research on a total of 65 scientific posters. Sena Alptekin, DKFZ and UKHD, won the “Best Poster Award,” sponsored by the journal Molecular Oncology.

In addition to the scientific program, the summer school also provided opportunities for personal exchange: Many participants took advantage of the opportunity to make new contacts and develop ideas for joint projects.

Participants at the CCE Summer School 2025 were also able to experience how important international networking and interdisciplinary collaboration are for progress in cancer medicine. For the NCT Heidelberg, the event is part of its efforts to promote young talent, in particular by bringing together talent from research and clinical practice. Close cooperation with the German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK), a long-standing partner of the Summer School, also plays an important role in this context.

Bruno Köhler will chair the scientific committee for the CCE Summer School 2026 and will organize the next edition of the Summer School together with the organizing team from the NCT Heidelberg and other Cancer Core Europe centers. Planning is already underway to once again offer an inspiring forum for international exchange in cancer research.

Further impressions and photos can be found on the CCE website:

https://www.cancercoreeurope.eu/summer-school-2025-empowering-researchers

About the CCE Summer School

The Summer School in Translational Cancer Research was launched in 2011 as part of the EU project EurocanPlatform and has been organized annually by Cancer Core Europe (CCE) since 2016. During the week-long event, doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers, and clinical scientists from around the world gain comprehensive insight into current developments in cancer research, with a particular focus on precision medicine.

The Summer School is particularly notable for its interdisciplinary approach, bringing together researchers from basic research, translational research, and clinical practice in an open and collaborative environment. This concept creates an atmosphere of mutual exchange and learning and has proven to be extremely effective in promoting scientific collaboration over the years.

Cancer Core Europe (CCE) was founded in 2014 to accelerate the development of innovative cancer therapies through close collaboration in translational and clinical research. The network includes seven leading cancer centers: the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (Spain), Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre (United Kingdom), Institut Gustave Roussy (France), the Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), the Netherlands Cancer Institute (Netherlands), the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori (Italy), and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) with the NCT Heidelberg. The Heidelberg site is represented on the CCE Board of Directors by Michael Baumann (DKFZ) and Stefan Fröhling (NCT Heidelberg).

Images (Cancer Core Europe):

1 Participants, speakers, and organizing team of the CCE Summer School 2025
2 Cécile Ronckers, DKFZ, during her presentation
3 Bruno Köhler, NCT Heidelberg and TU Dresden, during the workshop on patient participation 
4 Priya Chudasama, NCT Heidelberg and DKFZ, at the workshop on patient participation
5 Cindy Körner, NCT Heidelberg and DKFZ, at the workshop on patient participation
6, 7 Exchange is a central component of the CCE Summer School
8 The Heidelberg group at the CCE Summer School 2025