Medical University Vienna, Institute of Cancer Research

Founded as Medical Faculty of the University of Vienna in 1365 and independent since 2004, the Medical University of Vienna (MUW) is one of the most traditional medical training and research facilities in Europe (8.000 students). It comprises 26 university hospitals, 3 clinical institutes, 12 theoretical medicine centres and numerous highly specialised laboratories. 5 research clusters are installed at MUW, i.e. Immunology Research Cluster (IRC), Cancer Research/Oncology, Medical Neuroscience Cluster (MNC), Cardiovascular Cluster (CVC) and Medical Imaging Cluster (MIC). MUW is closely connected with the Vienna General Hospital (AKH), where about 1500 medical doctors treat more than 110.000 inpatients and 550.000 outpatients each year (operations: 55.000 each year).
The Institute of Cancer Research represents the main basic and translational research unit of the Comprehensive Cancer Center Vienna (CCCV). It is part of Clinic of Internal Medicine I, the largest oncological clinic in Vienna. The ICR houses to date 20 research groups organized in four research foci: Cellular and Molecular Tumorbiology (Head: Maria Sibilia), Applied and Experimental Oncology (Head: Walter Berger), Chemical Safety and Cancer Prevention (Head: Gergely Szakacs) and Tumor Progression and Metastasis (Head: Wolfgang Mikulits). The group of Walter Berger, as the main PI of the ITCC-P4 project, is focused on the development of molecularly-defined novel treatment option for solid tumors with a focus on adult and childhood brain tumors.
The Unit for Pediatric Neurooncology of the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna (Head: Irene Slavc) is the largest Unit in Austria being specialized on the treatment of these rare and highly diverse malignant diseases. Due to the close cooperation with the other departments within the CCC Vienna and multiple international partners, the Unit for Pediatric Neurooncology in Vienna offers state-of-the art treatment for children suffering from CNS-tumors. Furthermore, it has specialized on innovative and personalized treatment approaches.
The research group for brain tumors in children within the Comprehensive Cancer Center Vienna (CCCV) has set itself the task of increasing our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of such tumors and providing better therapies for these young patients. This is made possible by combining basic research with translational research approaches and clinical trials. At the center of the CCC-CNS working group for brain tumors in children, there is a close network of collaborating clinical institutes, including the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, the Department of Neurosurgery, the Institute of Neurology, the Department of Radiotherapy and the Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, as well as the Institute of Cancer Research