Alina Zechmeister

Home: IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems
Host: Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Topic: Cellular therapies to provide long-term protection against tumor recurrence.

I will be conducting research for my bachelor thesis the next six months at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston in the laboratory of Wayne A. Marasco, M.D., Ph.D. as part of my studies at my home university, IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems. The lab is a world leader in therapeutic human antibody discovery and also focuses on COVID-19, cancer immunotherapy, humanized mice, emerging infectious diseases, antibody engineering, regenerative medicine and stem cell biology.

The Marasco lab has developed a state-of-the-art cellular therapy for treating cancer Immune Restoring Chimeric Antigen Receptor (IR CAR) T cells that identify tumor cells and secrete immune restoring antibodies at the tumor site. Nevertheless, it is well recognized that CAR T cell effectiveness decreases with time since a lower tumor burden results in less CAR T cell activation and when the CAR T cells start to decline, the tumor grows back. The overall objective of my research project is to develop a next generation therapy that can be administered in conjunction with existing cellular therapies to provide long-term protection against tumor recurrence. Moreover, to further expand my exposure to the field, I am participating in the lectures of the Immunology Summer Program hosted by Harvard Medical School.

Alina Zechmeister