STIFTUNG LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT FUR IMMUNTHERAPIE

Their core work

The Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (LIT) in Regensburg is a dedicated cancer immunotherapy research centre focused on developing and engineering immune-based treatments for cancer. Their work spans nanovaccine design for hard-to-treat cancers like pancreatic cancer, and cell-based therapies using T cells and adoptive cell transfer strategies. They combine biomedical science with engineering approaches — including 3D printing and microfluidics — to create controlled tumour microenvironment models and improve therapy precision. As a Leibniz-affiliated foundation, they operate at the intersection of fundamental immunology and translational oncology, contributing specialist immunological expertise to multi-institution European consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their H2020 participation began with a nanovaccine-centred approach to cancer — using nanotechnology and molecular imaging to deliver personalised treatments for pancreatic cancer. The second project shifted toward cellular immunotherapy: T cells, adoptive cell transfer, and engineered tumour microenvironments built using 3D printing and microfluidics. This represents a clear pivot from nanoparticle drug delivery toward living-cell-based therapies supported by bioengineering platforms — a trajectory consistent with broader trends in the cancer immunotherapy field toward personalised cell therapies.

LIT is moving toward cell-based immunotherapy engineering with advanced manufacturing tools, making them an increasingly relevant partner for CAR-T, tumour microenvironment, and precision oncology projects.

How they like to work

LIT participates exclusively as a consortium partner — they have not coordinated any H2020 project — suggesting they operate as a specialist contributor rather than a project manager. Their 21 unique partners across 10 countries in just two projects indicates involvement in medium-to-large, internationally diverse consortia. This profile points to an organisation that brings deep immunological expertise to collaborations led by others, rather than one seeking to build and manage its own research networks.

With 21 unique consortium partners across 10 countries in only two projects, LIT has a broad and internationally distributed collaboration footprint relative to its project count. Their reach appears to be primarily European, consistent with participation in MSCA and RIA schemes.

What sets them apart

LIT is one of the few Leibniz-affiliated institutes specifically chartered around immunotherapy, giving it a focused institutional mandate that generalist university groups lack. Their combination of immunological expertise with emerging bioengineering methods (microfluidics, 3D printing) positions them at the interface of biology and engineering — valuable for consortia that need both scientific depth and translational capability. For a consortium builder in oncology, LIT offers credible Leibniz-quality science with a track record in both nanovaccine and cell therapy paradigms.

Highlights from their portfolio

• INCITE
  The largest-funded project (€389,135) and the most technically diverse — combining cancer immunotherapy with 3D printing and microfluidics — signalling LIT's ambition to bridge immunology and bioengineering.
• PAVE
  An MSCA Innovative Training Network targeting pancreatic cancer — one of oncology's most treatment-resistant cancers — through personalised nanovaccine approaches, demonstrating LIT's commitment to high-impact unmet clinical needs.