# University Cancer Center Mainz (UCT Mainz) / Universitätsmedizin Mainz

Source: https://onco.cc/institutions/uct-mainz/  
OnCo record `uct-mainz` (Institution). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

The university medical centre where Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci built the science behind BioNTech and personalised mRNA cancer vaccines.

## Summary

Universitätsmedizin Mainz is the home institution of Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci, who founded BioNTech in Mainz in 2008 and the translational institute TRON in 2010 to pursue individualised neoantigen mRNA vaccines, the concept later tested as autogene cevumeran with Genentech. The Helmholtz Institute for Translational Oncology (HI-TRON), a DKFZ partnership, and the UCT Mainz make the site a German Cancer Aid Oncology Center of Excellence and DKTK partner. Clinical strengths include haematology, dermato-oncology (a large melanoma trial site for BioNTech's programmes), neuro-oncology and the Mainz Research Center for Immunotherapy (FZI). The city has become a hub for mRNA and immunotherapy companies around the university.

## Fields

- Kind: Institution
- Last checked: 2026-09-09
- Also known as: Universitätsmedizin der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz; TRON; HI-TRON Mainz
- City: Mainz, DE
- Type: university
- Website: https://www.unimedizin-mainz.de/uct

## Sources

- UCT Mainz: https://www.unimedizin-mainz.de/uct
- TRON: https://tron-mainz.de
- HI-TRON Mainz (archived copy): https://web.archive.org/web/20250121103628/https://www.dkfz.de/en/hi-tron/

## Connected records

- cancers: [Colorectal cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/colorectal/), [Melanoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/melanoma/), [Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/pancreatic/)
- fronts: [Immunotherapy](https://onco.cc/fronts/immunotherapy/)
- technologies: [Bispecific antibodies](https://onco.cc/technologies/bispecific-antibody/), [CAR-T cell therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/car-t/), [Personalised neoantigen (mRNA) vaccines](https://onco.cc/technologies/neoantigen-mrna-vaccine/)
- drugs: [Autogene cevumeran](https://onco.cc/drugs/autogene-cevumeran/)
- companies: [BioNTech](https://onco.cc/companies/biontech/), [Roche / Genentech](https://onco.cc/companies/roche-genentech/)
- institutions: [German Cancer Consortium (DKTK)](https://onco.cc/institutions/dktk/), [German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)](https://onco.cc/institutions/dkfz/)
- terms: [Neoantigen](https://onco.cc/terms/neoantigen/)
- people: [Thomas Kindler](https://onco.cc/people/thomas-kindler/), [Uğur Şahin](https://onco.cc/people/ugur-sahin/)

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