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Research Project
Therapeutic vaccination against orthotopic HPV-dependent cancers in MHC-humanized mice
Many therapeutic vaccines against HPV-driven cancers have already shown to be highly effective in preclinical studies but lacked effectiveness when tested in human patients. To overcome this discrepancy, our group developed model systems that resemble the human situation more closely. My predecessors established two orthotopic HPV16-dependent tumor models in MHC-humanized mice, which are located in the mucosa of the female genital tract and the base of the tongue. They allow testing of different therapeutic vaccine platforms containing clinically relevant HLA-restricted epitopes against tumors at sites of natural infection. Using these tumor and mouse models, my PhD project focusses on the determination of the most effective vaccination strategy by assessing different vaccine platforms and vaccination routes. The evaluation process of those platforms includes spectral flow cytometric analysis of the induced immune responses and analysis of orthotopic tumor reduction. Taken together, these experiments will be a important step in the preclinical assessment of new therapeutic HPV vaccine formulations.
Scientific CV
Since Sep 2022
PhD student, Immunotherapy and Immunoprevention, DKFZ, Heidelberg
2019 - 2022
MSc Molecular Biosciences with Major in Cancer Biology, Ruprecht-Karls-University and DKFZ, Heidelberg
2016 - 2019
BSc Biosciences, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg