Lukas Bunse: Appointed Professor of Neuroimmunology with a Focus on Cell Therapy

Lukas Bunse is a physician-scientist specializing in neuroimmunology and innovative cellular immunotherapies. His work focuses on harnessing the immune system to specifically target diseases of the central nervous system, particularly brain tumors and autoimmune disorders.

Since early 2026, Lukas Bunse has held the endowed professorship for Neuroimmunology with a Focus on Cell Therapy at the Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, supported by the Dr. Rolf M. Schwiete Foundation. In conjunction with this appointment, Lukas Bunse also heads the newly established clinical-translational Division of Neuro-Oncology within the Department of Neurology. Professor Bunse is also a Core Member of the Mannheim Center for Translational Neurosciences (MCTN), underscoring the strong translational research focus at the Medical Faculty Mannheim.

With his Cell Therapy research group at the MCTN and the Mannheim Institute for Innate Immunoscience (MI3), Bunse pursues a translational approach aimed at identifying novel immunotherapeutic targets and developing innovative treatment strategies for evaluation in early-phase clinical trials. A major focus lies on the development of genetically engineered T cells equipped with specific immune receptors capable of recognizing and selectively attacking tumor cells in the brain.

In addition, the research group is working on functionally enhancing tumor-infiltrating immune cells ‒ that is, immune cells migrating into tumor tissue ‒ in order to strengthen patients’ endogenous antitumor immune responses. Beyond oncological diseases, the group also investigates autoimmune disorders of the central nervous system, including autoimmune and viral encephalitis, in which the immune system attacks healthy tissue in the brain and spinal cord.

The group’s work is closely integrated into the clinical infrastructure at the University Medical Center Mannheim. Close collaborations exist with the Department of Neurology’s clinical trial center and biobank. The development of novel therapeutic approaches is further supported through cooperation with the DNA Vector Unit as well as immunogenomic analysis platforms and the vaccine program of the Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg.

Lukas Bunse is highly connected both nationally and internationally. Among other activities, he is involved in the Collaborative Research Center “UNITE Glioblastoma” (SFB 1389), currently in its second funding period. Since 2023, he has also been a Fellow of the Hertie Network of Excellence in Clinical Neuroscience. In addition, Bunse has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize of the German Research Foundation, the Scientific Award of the German Neurological Society, the Lautenschläger Award for Young Scientists of Heidelberg University, and the Prize of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

With the appointment of Professor Bunse, the Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, is further strengthening its strategic focus on translational neuroscience while expanding its expertise in innovative immunotherapeutic approaches.