Research Project
Immunologic characterization of HPV epitopes for their suitability to be included into a therapeutic HPV vaccine
To successfully develop a therapeutic vaccine against HPV, immunogenic epitopes that mediate cytotoxic T cell responses need to be identified and validated. In this project, candidate epitopes for six major HLA supertypes are functionally characterized in vitro. This work also includes the establishment of a new imaging-based cytotoxicity assay setup. For the most promising epitopes of a selected HLA supertype, the capacity to induce de novo immune responses is further analyzed in in vivo experiments. Finally, a multi-epitope vaccine formulation is tested in vaccination experiments to assess potential antagonistic or synergistic effects. In a side project, murine epithelial cells were genetically engineered to mimic natural HPV16 infections to provide the basis for a tumor model as target for future experiments.
Resulting Publications
Mohan N, Wellach K, Özerdem C, Veits N, Förster JD, Föhr S, Bonsack M, Riemer AB
Scientific CV
Since Oct 2021
PhD student, Immunotherapy and Immunoprevention, DKFZ, Heidelberg
2017 - 2021
MSc Molecular Biotechnology, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg
2014 - 2017
BSc Molecular Biotechnology, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg