Address
Laboratory for Molecular Neuro-Oncology
Clinic for Neurology
University Hospital of Zurich
Women’s Hospitalstrasse 26
8091 Zurich
The scientific focus of the Laboratory for Molecular Neuro-Oncology at the Department of Neurology is on tumor immunology and immunotherapy, treatment resistance, and the development of new therapies for patients with brain tumors.
The laboratory was founded in 2008 with the appointment of Michael Weller as clinical director and has been located in the Haldenbach Building at the Department of Neurology of the University Hospital of Zurich, at Frauenklinikstrasse 26, 8091 Zurich, since 2014. On August 1, 2026, Tobias Weiss took over as head of the lab, with support from Julia Friesen, Laura Königs, and Theresa Pesch (lab management) as well as Kristina Weissbecker (administration).
Michael Weller focuses primarily on research into the mechanism of action of serotonin modulators, which have been identified through ex vivo drug sensitivity profiling (pharmacoscopy) as a new therapeutic approach for glioblastomas, in collaboration with Sara Dahmani, Julia Friesen, and Theresa Pesch; the importance of steroid signaling pathways, in collaboration with Laura Koenigs; and the tumorigenic function of telomerase, in collaboration with Yasmin Abdel Moneim.
Patrick Roth assumed the position of head of the Department of Neurology at the Cantonal Hospital in St. Gallen on August 1, 2026. He will initially continue his research projects in Zurich, including work on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells with Szymon Stanclik, and on epigenetic and immunological factors that contribute to long-term survival in patients with glioblastoma, in collaboration with Paulina Will. In addition, research is being conducted on cellular immunotherapies, which are being studied in preclinical models of inflammatory CNS diseases, in collaboration with Lino Casty.
Tobias Weiss is developing new (immuno)therapeutic approaches for the treatment of gliomas and brain metastases using mouse models and early-phase clinical trials. He is also developing new approaches for the noninvasive early diagnosis and monitoring of brain tumors in patients’ blood and cerebrospinal fluid (liquid biopsies) in collaboration with Adela Brzobohata, Yanan Zhang, Franziska Heinkele, and Carlos Villamizar. In this context, he is investigating tumor-specific antibody-based therapies (together with Sina Guenther) as well as innovative cell therapies using modified T/NK cells and macrophages(in collaboration with Manon Bouzereau, Carlotta Dell’Anna Misurale, Zoë Linke, and Will Ashcroft). He also uses innovative methods for the molecular and functional characterization of tumor tissues based on mass spectrometry for high-throughput protein analysis, as well as automated microscopy and computer-aided image analysis (in collaboration with B. Snijder, Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering Basel, and J. Kelm, PreComb Therapeutics).
Maximillian Mastall, together with Sofia Massaro, is investigating the interactions between the meninges and brain tumors.
The RCAS/tv-a gene transfer system is used to further develop syngeneic mouse models of gliomas and meningiomas whose histopathological structure, microenvironment, and molecular properties resemble those of human tumors. Samuel Marashli is working on projects that use these tumor models to develop anti-glutamatergic therapeutic strategies and continues to be co-supervised by Hans-Georg Wirsching, who has been head of the Department of Neurology at the Winterthur Cantonal Hospital since late 2024.
In collaboration with the Department of Neurosurgery (Luca Regli, Carlo Serra, Kevin Akeret, Flavio Vasella, Stefanos Voglis, Emilie Le Rhun), a tumor bank was established for molecular biological and immunological studies, as well as for the isolation and characterization of glioma stem cells. In the field of tumor immunology, there has been a long-standing close collaboration with Marian Neidert’s research group, initially in Zurich, later in St. Gallen, and, since June 1, 2026, in Mainz.
In collaboration with the Departments of Medical Oncology and Hematology (Emilie Le Rhun), Neurosurgery (Luca Regli), and Radiation Oncology (Matthias Guckenberger), as well as the Institute of Pathology (Holger Moch), several projects are being conducted on the pathogenesis and biology of central nervous system metastases.
In the field of clinical neuro-oncology, the Brain Tumor Center Zurich was founded in January 2012 at the Comprehensive Cancer Center Zurich (CCCZ) in collaboration with partner institutions in neuroradiology, neurosurgery, neuropathology, radiation oncology, oncology, nuclear medicine, and pediatric neuro-oncology. The extensive clinical trials (see below) are managed by three study coordinators: Marta Adorjani, Sarah Basler, and Carola Keding.
Dorothee Gramatzki, Amanda Eisele, Elena Luib, and other staff members are conducting population-based studies on glioma in the canton of Zurich. In collaboration with the centers of the German Glioma Network (coordinated by Dorothee Gramatzki) and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) (coordinated by Emilie Le Rhun), various projects in the field of clinical, pathological, and molecular patient-centered research are being conducted. As part of the GLASS consortium, the working group is working to characterize the progression of low-grade gliomas.
The working group has been or will be funded by the U.S. “Brain Tumor Funder Collaborative,” the Swiss National Science Foundation, the European Research Council (ERC), Cancer Research Switzerland (Oncosuisse), the Zurich Cancer League, the Helmut Horten Foundation, the Wilhelm Sander Foundation, the EMDO Foundation, the OPO Foundation, the Hartmann-Müller Foundation, the CCCZ Lighthouse Program, the CCCZ Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trial Program, the Koetser Foundation, the Sophien Foundation, the San Salvatore Foundation, the Promedica Foundation, the Desirée and Niels Yde Foundation, the Foundation for Applied Cancer Research, the Geistlich-Stucki Foundation, Swiss Cancer Research, the EU’s Eurostars Program, and the German Research Foundation (DFG), and is currently conducting collaborative projects with the following companies: Lundbeck (Zug), MSD (Lucerne), Cellis (Warsaw and Zurich), Novartis (Basel), Novocure (Jersey), Philogen (Siena), and Quercis (Zug).
Laboratory for Molecular Neuro-Oncology
Clinic for Neurology
University Hospital of Zurich
Women’s Hospitalstrasse 26
8091 Zurich
You can find the members of the Neuro-Oncology Research Group here.
A selection of our research projects is listed below. An overview of the “ImmunoCure” research focus can be viewed here.
If you are interested in the clinical studies listed below at the Brain Tumor Center of the USZ, we look forward to hearing from you. A tabular overview of the currently recruiting studies with the most important inclusion criteria can also be viewed here.
Die abgeschlossenen Forschungsprojekte von PhD-Studierenden aus unserem Labor finden Sie hier aufgeführt. The relevant publications in specialist journals can be viewed via this link .
If you would like to support our scientific work in neuro-oncology with a donation, you are welcome to do so via the USZ Foundation. Under the heading “Ways to give” you will find all information on the subject of support, as well as the contact persons. Please enter “Neuro-Oncology” as the purpose of funding.