West German Study Group

What West German Study Group does

West German Study Group (WSG), legally WSG - Women's Cancer Study Group GmbH, is an academic research organization founded in 1994 in Düsseldorf by Prof. Ulrike Nitz and operating from Mönchengladbach, Germany. WSG specializes in the design, organization, and execution of investigator-initiated clinical trials for breast cancer treatment optimization, with a focus on biomarker-guided therapy de-escalation. Its core platform is the ADAPT (Adjuvant Dynamic marker-Adjusted Personalized Therapy) umbrella trial program, a modular clinical trial architecture that integrates early tumor response assessment (Ki-67 endocrine response testing) with genomic risk profiling (Oncotype DX Recurrence Score, MammaPrint) to enable personalized treatment decisions across multiple breast cancer subtypes. WSG collaborates with over 200 breast centers across all German federal states and has enrolled more than 15,000 patients in studies including ADAPTcycle, ADAPT-HER2-IV, ADAPT-TN-III, ADAPTlate, Keyriched-1, PROOFS-Registry, and PlanB. The organization maintains a tumor bank of more than 10,000 patient samples at Medical University Hannover and conducts translational research services (TRAFO) and local therapy research (LT).

WSG's business model is that of an academic clinical research organization funded through public research grants (notably the German Research Foundation/DFG), pharmaceutical industry collaborations for investigator-initiated trials, and academic institutional partnerships. It does not sell commercial products or services; rather, it generates revenue by conducting and managing multicenter clinical studies whose findings influence national and international breast cancer treatment guidelines. Leadership comprises internationally renowned breast cancer experts, including Prof. Nadia Harbeck (ESMO Lifetime Achievement Award 2020, candidate for ESMO President 2027-2028), Prof. Peter Schmid (Barts Cancer Institute), Prof. Ulrike Nitz, Prof. Oleg Gluz, Prof. Sherko Kümmel, and Prof. Monika Graeser. Recent strategic activity includes international expansion through ADAPTlate into additional European countries, new hires from top CROs in 2024, and AI-driven biomarker research (multimodal histopathology models, multiomic predictive analytics) presented at ASCO 2024. Awards include the German Cancer Prize 2023 and the Employer of the Future award 2023.

Name

West German Study Group

Legal name

WSG - Women´s Cancer Study Group GmbH

Website

https://wsg-online.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WSG - Women's Cancer Study Group GmbH is a German academic clinical research organization founded in 1994, conducting biomarker-guided breast cancer clinical trials across more than 200 breast centers with over 15,000 enrolled patients. It specializes in therapy de-escalation through the ADAPT umbrella trial program integrating genomic signatures and early tumor response assessment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Breast Oncology (HLAKAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Clinical Operations & Monitoring FSP (CRA/CTM/Start-up) (HLAGAOAA), Genomic & Multi-Omic Biomarkers (NGS panels, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) (HLAAAMAJ)

Keywords

• Breast cancer research
• Clinical trial design
• Biomarker-guided therapy
• Translational oncology
• Academic research organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Mönchengladbach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Clinical Trial Funding: Academic research organization funded through grants, public research funding (DFG), and potentially pharmaceutical industry collaborations for investigator-initiated trials.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WSG is an academic research organization that designs, organizes, and conducts biomarker-guided clinical trials for breast cancer therapy optimization, centered on the ADAPT umbrella trial program. It integrates genomic signatures (Oncotype DX, MammaPrint) with early tumor response assessment (Ki-67) to identify patients who can safely avoid chemotherapy and personalize neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment across HR+/HER2-, HER2+, and triple-negative subtypes. The organization operates through a network of over 200 collaborating breast centers across Germany and supports translational biomarker research and local therapy (surgery, radiotherapy, imaging) investigations.

Product overview

WSG (Women´s Cancer Study Group) is an academic research institution specializing in clinical trials for breast cancer treatment optimization. The core offering is the ADAPT umbrella study program with multiple parallel substudies (ADAPTcycle, ADAPT-HER2-IV, ADAPT-TN-III, ADAPTlate, Keyriched-1) targeting different breast cancer subtypes (HR+/HER2-, HER2+, triple-negative). Studies integrate genomic biomarkers (Oncotype DX, MammaPrint) and early tumor response assessment to enable personalized therapy de-escalation. Supporting services include translational research (TRAFO) for biomarker discovery and local therapy research. The portfolio spans neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and registry studies with over 15,000 patients enrolled across Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ADAPT Study Program
• ADAPTcycle
• ADAPT-HER2-IV
• ADAPT-TN-III
• PROOFS-Registry
• Keyriched-1
• ADAPTlate
• PlanB Study
• Translational Research (TRAFO) Services
• Local Therapy Research (LT) Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly half of patients initially considered for chemotherapy could safely avoid it using ADAPT approach with Ki-67 response testing and Recurrence Score
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Breast International Group (BIG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSG is a longstanding member organization of BIG, the worldwide network of breast cancer study groups. WSG featured in BIG's 'Research in Focus' journal highlighting ADAPT HR+/HER2- study results.
• Medical University Hannover - Institute of PathologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Hans Kreipe leads the WSG tumor bank at MHH, containing tumor samples from over 10,000 patients from WSG studies.
• Queen Mary University LondonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSG serves as national coordinator for ECLIPSE and BARBICAN studies in Germany, collaborating with Queen Mary University in London on international breast cancer research.
• Heinrich-Heine-Universität DüsseldorfcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSG was founded at Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf in 1994. Ongoing collaboration in translational research.
• University of ColognesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in translational research alongside other academic partners.
• Netherlands Cancer Institute - Antoni van Leeuwenhoek HospitalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration in translational breast cancer research.
• EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSG served as German national coordinator for MINDACT study, contributing over 800 patients in Germany through associated centers.
• German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) HeidelbergcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in DFG-funded project on molecular determinants of primary endocrine resistance in luminal breast cancer using ADAPT study tumor samples.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Parexel International: Large global CRO with extensive oncology clinical operations. Comparable in breast cancer trial execution capability but operates as a commercial incumbent across many indications rather than as an academic specialist.

Direct peers

• EORTC: EORTC is the pan-European academic clinical cancer research organization running multi-center trials across solid tumors. WSG already collaborates with EORTC (MINDACT national coordinator in Germany) and is structurally comparable as an academic sponsor.
• UNICANCER: UNICANCER is the French federation of academic cancer centers running breast cancer group trials (e.g., CANTO cohort). Comparable as a national academic oncology research organization with similar IIT model.
• SOLTI Breast Cancer Research Group: SOLTI is a Spanish academic group dedicated to breast cancer clinical and translational research, running biomarker-driven trials. Comparable to WSG in mission, scale, and pharma-sponsored IIT model.
• Breast International Group (BIG): BIG is the worldwide network of academic breast cancer trial groups; WSG is itself a BIG member. BIG coordinates large international trials (e.g., MINDACT, APHINITY) and is structurally the meta-organization WSG participates in.
• NSABP Foundation: NSABP is a long-established US academic breast and bowel cancer trial group whose adjuvant trials have shaped global guidelines. Direct international peer for guideline-influencing adjuvant breast cancer research.
• I-SPY Consortium: I-SPY runs adaptive neoadjuvant breast cancer trials using biomarker-guided platform designs. Closely comparable to WSG's ADAPT umbrella trial architecture for adaptive, biomarker-driven de-escalation.
• Translational Research in Oncology (TRIO): TRIO is a global academic-led oncology research organization running biomarker-driven breast cancer trials. Comparable in mission, international footprint, and pharma-sponsored IIT orientation.
• German Breast Group (GBG): GBG is a leading German academic breast cancer study group running large Phase II/III trials (e.g., GeparNuevo, GeparTrio). It is the closest direct competitor in Germany for academic breast cancer trials and pharma IIT funding.
• Austrian Breast & Colorectal Cancer Study Group (ABCSG): ABCSG is an Austrian academic cooperative group running large adjuvant breast cancer trials (e.g., ABCSG P-series). Direct peer in the DACH region with similar academic IIT and adjuvant trial focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/kerstin-k%C3%BChn-wache-56631090

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about West German Study Group