Social commitment

For several years, Wasser-Geräte GmbH – the Petrei family – has supported the scientific work of the cancer research group “Krebsforschung AG Prof. Zeiser” at the University Hospital of Freiburg im Breisgau through donations.

These donations are used to improve the treatment of patients with blood cancer through the research of Prof. Dr. med. Robert Zeiser, Head of the Section for Tumor Immunology and Immunoregulation, specializing in hematology, oncology, and stem cell transplantation.

To this end, new therapeutic approaches are being tested to make blood stem cell transplantation safer for patients with leukemia. In particular, research is being conducted on how the immune response of the bone marrow donor against the leukemia cells in the patient can be enhanced without simultaneously triggering a rejection reaction against the recipient tissue (GVHD).

For this purpose, specific messenger substances and signaling molecules in the leukemia cells are being analyzed, and it is being investigated whether their effects can be enhanced by medication. Furthermore, the research is examining which metabolic products are released from the leukemia cells to block the immune system.