Dr. rer. nat. Reinhard Wähler

Gene Therapy / in vivo Stem Cell Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes

• Development and patenting of an siRNA delivery technology
• Coordination with external companies and consultant
• Design of chemically modified siRNA to minimize immune response
• Heading the internal testing
• in vivo testing of a commercial siRNA delivery technology

• Development of a melanoma vaccine that targets dendritic cells in vivo
• Tested promoter activity in vivo using adenoviral vectors
• Tested the tolerable limit for replication competent adenovirus in viral preparations
• Published review on targeted viral vectors in Nature Reviews Genetics
• Wrote grant applications and animal protocols

• Designed, constructed and tested adenoviral vectors in vitro and in vivo
• Developed a complex tricistronic expression cassette for cancer immunotherapy
• Led team (surgeon, radiologist, technical staff) in preclinical testing of adenoviral vectors
• Results led to patent and the founding of Provecs Medical

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Cancer gene therapy: Using adenoviral vectors I developed an immunostimulatory approach to enable the immune system to eliminate the tumor.
Two tumor nodules…

Please see description under PhD student / Scientist (UKE) above.
Initial work at the Max Delbrueck Center also included the development of a production system for gutless adenoviral vectors (a.k.a. minimal or helper-dependent adenoviral vectors). Eventually this part of my PhD work was discontinued.

• Ribozyme technology
• Transcription factors

Bayer AG, Wuppertal, Germany
• Cloned fibrosis related marker from mRNA library, expressed and column-purified it

The internship was followed up by a second stay in the same laboratory as a working student in 1995.

• Studied and tested ribozyme technology, learned basic molecular biology