AAP

The Research Unit Analytical Pathology (AAP) carries out scientific development, as a complement to research units with a clinical and fundamental orientation of translational research on diseases that occur in tissue.

The Research Unit Analytical Pathology (AAP) builds on clinical pathology and advances it through innovative technologies for tissue-based molecular phenotyping and spatially resolved multi-omics, enabling a systems-level understanding of disease. It integrates computational data analysis with digital pathology to drive translational research and precision medicine with direct relevance to disease stratification and therapy guidance.

Our research focuses on the development and application of advanced tissue-based analytical technologies to decode disease mechanisms at molecular and spatial resolution. We integrate high-dimensional imaging, spatial multi-omics, and computational pathology to translate discoveries from experimental and preclinical models into clinically relevant insights for disease characterization, stratification, and therapy guidance.

Focus: Research directly motivated by unresolved clinical questions in patient material, aiming to improve therapy, risk stratification, and prevention.

Investigation of spatial and molecular metabolic differences in tumors to predict treatment response and guide personalized therapy strategies.

Analysis of metabolic profiles and microenvironment in multiple myeloma and precursor lesions to enable improved risk prediction and early clinical intervention.

Study of bone formation, resorption, and mineral homeostasis to advance prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of osteoporosis and related skeletal disorders.

Focus: Research addressing methodological and technological gaps to enable clinically relevant analyses and unlock new opportunities for patient-derived material.

Development of spatially resolved mass spectrometry methods to integrate endogenous metabolism with exogenous influences. A largely unexplored field requiring artificial intelligence–driven analysis and novel methodological approaches to understand the impact of external exposures on organ metabolism.

Adaptation of advanced analytical and computational workflows to formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue, enabling molecular and metabolic profiling from clinically available routine samples.

Prof. Dr. med. Axel Karl Walch

Head, AAP

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Dr. Na Sun

Senior scientist, AAP

Dr. Chaoyang Zhang

Postdoc, AAP

Ulrike Buchholz

MTLA, AAP

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Postdoc, AAP

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Postdoc, AAP

Guoxing Zhang

PhD student, AAP

Yuzhe Fu

PhD student, AAP

Jiawei Li

PhD student, AAP

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PhD student, AAP

Sükriye Koccayir

Service assistant, AAP

Fischer, M. ; Sigle, M. ; Manke, M.C. ; Marzi, J. ; Schütte, J.P. ; Sun, N. ; Scheuermann, S. ; Kopczynski, D. ; Kollotzek, F. ; Lingens, G.D. ; Coman, C. ; Koeppen, M. ; Nagy, Z. ; Rohlfing, A.K. ; Sickmann, A. ; Litchfield, D.W. ; Rebholz, H. ; Seitz, C. ; Heinzmann, D. ; Schaller, M. ; Nieswandt, B. ; Schenke-Layland, K. ; Gawaz, M. ; Walch, A.K. ; Ahrends, R. ; Münzer, P. ; Borst, O.

Platelet Casein Kinase 2α is a pivotal player in arterial thrombotic occlusion and post-ischemic myocardial remodeling.

Latic, N. ; Lari, A. ; Sun, N. ; Zupcic, A. ; Oubounyt, M. ; Falivene, J. ; Buck, A. ; Hofer, M. ; Chang, W. ; Kuebler, W.M. ; Baumbach, J. ; Walch, A. ; Grabner, A. ; Erben, R.G.

Deletion of cardiac fibroblast growth factor-23 beneficially impacts myocardial energy metabolism in left ventricular hypertrophy.

Morath, V. ; Maurer, S. ; Feuchtinger, A. ; Walser, R. ; Schlapschy, M. ; Bolze, F. ; Metzler, T. ; Bruder, J. ; Steiger, K. ; Walch, A.K. ; Klingenspor, M. ; Skerra, A.

Long-acting human PASylated leptin reaches the murine central nervous system and offers potential for optimized replacement therapy.

Coupland, C. ; Sun, N. ; Khalil, A. ; Karaoglu, Ö.E. ; Liskiewicz, A. ; Liskiewicz, D. ; Grandl, G. ; Akindehin, S.E. ; Maity-Kumar, G. ; Yang, B. ; Finan, B. ; Knerr, P.J. ; Douros, J.D. ; Walch, A.K. ; DiMarchi, R. ; Tschöp, M.H. ; Müller, T.D. ; Novikoff, A.

Estrogenic activity of E2-conjugated GLP-1 is mediated by intracellular endolysosomal acidification and estrone metabolism.

Wang, Q. ; Sun, N. ; Zhang, C.-Y. ; Kunzke, T. ; Zens, P. ; Feuchtinger, A. ; Berezowska, S. ; Walch, A.K.

Metabolic heterogeneity in tumor cells impacts immunology in lung squamous cell carcinoma.

Juhász, B. ; Horváth, K. ; Kuti, D. ; Shen, J. ; Feuchtinger, A. ; Zhang, C.-Y. ; Bata-Vidács, I. ; Nagy, I. ; Kukolya, J. ; Witting, M. ; Baranyi, M. ; Ferenczi, S. ; Walch, A.K. ; Sun, N. ; Kovács, K.J.

Dipeptide metabolite, glutamyl-glutamate mediates microbe-host interaction to boost spermatogenesis.

Sun, N. ; Krauss, T. ; Seeliger, C. ; Kunzke, T. ; Stöckl, B. ; Feuchtinger, A. ; Zhang, C.-Y. ; Voss, A. ; Heisz, S. ; Prokopchuk, O. ; Martignoni, M.E. ; Janssen, K.P. ; Claussnitzer, M. ; Hauner, H. ; Walch, A.K.

Inter-organ cross-talk in human cancer cachexia revealed by spatial metabolomics.

Danko, B. ; Hess J. ; Unger, K. ; Samaga, D. ; Walz, C. ; Walch, A.K. ; Sun, N. ; Baumeister, P. ; Zeng, P.Y.F. ; Walter, F. ; Marschner, S. ; Späth, R. ; Gires, O. ; Herkommer, T. ; Dazeh, R. ; Matos, T. ; Kreutzer, L. ; Matschke, J.B. ; Eul, K. ; Klauschen, F. ; Pflugradt, U. ; Canis, M. ; Ganswindt, U. ; Mymryk, J.S. ; Wollenberg, B. ; Nichols, A.C. ; Belka, C. ; Zitzelsberger, H. ; Lauber, K. ; Selmansberger, M.

Metabolic pathway-based subtypes associate glycan biosynthesis and treatment response in head and neck cancer.

SFB 824 "Imaging for the Selection, Monitoring and Individualization of Cancer Therapy", 3^rd funding period

Project C04: "Molecular and metabolic imaging and targeting of tumor heterogeneity in pancreatic cancer"

SFB 824 "Imaging for the Selection, Monitoring and Individualization of Cancer Therapy"

Central Projekt Z02: "Zentralbereich für Histopathologie, Immunhistochemie und analytische Pathologie"), 2^nd funding period

Major Instrumentation Initiatives: „Improving the Clinical Application Areas of Imaging Mass Spectrometry for Selection, Monitoring and Individualization of Cancer Therapies"

Research grant: „Exploring the potential of MALDI imaging mass spectrometry for personalized biomarker analysis in triple-negative breast cancer patients"

SFB 824 "Imaging for the Selection, Monitoring and Individualization of Cancer Therapy"

Central Projekt Z02: "Zentralbereich für Histopathologie, Immunhistochemie und analytische Pathologie"), 1^st funding period

SYS-Stomach: Systemmedizinischer Forschungsansatz zur Response- und Resistenzprädiktion zielgerichteter Therapien beim Magenkarzinom

2. Förderperiode, Verbundprojekt Sys-Stomach / Teilprojekt 5 „In-situ Proteom und Metabolomanalyse des Magenkarzinoms“

SYS-Stomach: Systemmedizinischer Forschungsansatz zur Response- und Resistenzprädiktion zielgerichteter Therapien beim Magenkarzinom

1. Förderperiode, Verbundprojekt Sys-Stomach / Teilprojekt 5 „In-situ Proteom und Metabolomanalyse des Magenkarzinoms“

„MALDI-AMK - 3D MALDI Imaging zur Analyse proteomischer Marker und klinischer Wirkstoffverteilung"

„Multimodal Proteome Imaging: an Entry to Biomedical Tissue Systems Biology“

„Verbund EndoMed: Frühdiagnose von intraepithelialen Neoplasien und Karzinomen des Magens mittels molekularer Fluoreszenzendoskopie“ (Teilprojekt 4: „Identifizierung von neuen molekularen Zielstrukturen für die in vivo Bildgebung von ...

Deutsche Krebshilfe “High throughput in situ metabolomics in adrenal tumors”

Deutsche Krebshilfe „Vergleichende lokale und systematische Proteomanalyse für die Identifizierung von Biomarkern für das Magenkarzinom“

ERA-NET TRANSCAN-2: Joint project „ARREST, Approaching recurrence and resistance mechanisms in esophagogastric adenocarcinomas from the prospective MEMORI trial“

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Clinical Needs–Driven Research

Cancer Metabolism and Heterogeneity for Therapy Optimization

Hemato-Oncology Metabolism for Risk Stratification

Bone and Mineral Metabolism in Osteoporosis

Methodology & Technology–Driven Research

Spatial Exposomics

Translational Methods for Routine Patient Material (FFPE)

Previous Funding by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

SFB 824 "Imaging for the Selection, Monitoring and Individualization of Cancer Therapy", Project C04

SFB 824 "Imaging for the Selection, Monitoring and Individualization of Cancer Therapy", Central Project Z02

Improving the Clinical Application Areas of Imaging Mass Spectrometry for Selection, Monitoring and Individualization of Cancer Therapies

Exploring the potential of MALDI imaging mass spectrometry for personalized biomarker analysis in triple-negative breast cancer patients

SFB 824 "Imaging for the Selection, Monitoring and Individualization of Cancer Therapy", Central Project Z02

Previous Funding by Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung

SYS-Stomach 2. Förderperiode, Verbundprojekt Sys-Stomach / Teilprojekt 5

2. Förderperiode, Verbundprojekt Sys-Stomach / Teilprojekt 5 „In-situ Proteom und Metabolomanalyse des Magenkarzinoms“

SYS-Stomach 1. Förderperiode, Verbundprojekt Sys-Stomach / Teilprojekt 5

1. Förderperiode, Verbundprojekt Sys-Stomach / Teilprojekt 5 „In-situ Proteom und Metabolomanalyse des Magenkarzinoms“

„MALDI-AMK - 3D MALDI Imaging zur Analyse proteomischer Marker und klinischer Wirkstoffverteilung"

„MALDI-AMK - 3D MALDI Imaging zur Analyse proteomischer Marker und klinischer Wirkstoffverteilung"

„Multimodal Proteome Imaging: an Entry to Biomedical Tissue Systems Biology“

„Multimodal Proteome Imaging: an Entry to Biomedical Tissue Systems Biology“

„Verbund EndoMed: Frühdiagnose von intraepithelialen Neoplasien und Karzinomen des Magens mittels molekularer Fluoreszenzendoskopie“

„Verbund EndoMed: Frühdiagnose von intraepithelialen Neoplasien und Karzinomen des Magens mittels molekularer Fluoreszenzendoskopie“ (Teilprojekt 4: „Identifizierung von neuen molekularen Zielstrukturen für die in vivo Bildgebung von ...

Previous Funding by others

Deutsche Krebshilfe “High throughput in situ metabolomics in adrenal tumors”

Deutsche Krebshilfe “High throughput in situ metabolomics in adrenal tumors”

Deutsche Krebshilfe „Vergleichende lokale und systematische Proteomanalyse für die Identifizierung von Biomarkern für das Magenkarzinom“

Deutsche Krebshilfe „Vergleichende lokale und systematische Proteomanalyse für die Identifizierung von Biomarkern für das Magenkarzinom“

ERA-NET TRANSCAN-2: Joint project „ARREST"

ERA-NET TRANSCAN-2: Joint project „ARREST, Approaching recurrence and resistance mechanisms in esophagogastric adenocarcinomas from the prospective MEMORI trial“

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