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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.
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