Lisa Sevenich
University of Tübingen

Host: Juliane Winkler

Program

Harness metabolic checkpoints for improved immunotherapy against brain metastasis

Brain metastases represent an unmet clinical need in high demand of the development of novel and effective therapy options. We seek to develop immune-targeted therapies specifically tailored to overcome tissue-specific limitations to treatment success. We employ a broad range of ex vivo and in vivo experimental brain metastasis models as well as patient samples to characterize the highly specialized tumor immune microenvironment in brain metastasis and use multiomics approaches together with mechanistic studies to dissect disease-associated functions of immune subpopulations. This insight provides scientific rational for combination trials. In my talk, I will summarize our findings on challenges and opportunities of tumor-associated macrophage therapy and T cell-directed immunotherapy in combination with radiotherapy. A particular focus will be directed towards immunometabolism and immunometabolism-targeting approaches as novel therapeutic avenues that allow simultaneous modulation of the myeloid and lymphoid compartment and thereby prevent the rapid induction of adaptive resistance mechanisms that blunt the reactivation of anti-cancer immunity.

About the Speaker

Prof. Lisa Sevenich is W2 Professor for Neuroonco-Immunology at the Department of Neurology and Interdisciplinary Neurooncology, HIH, and M3 Research Center, University of Tübingen. She earned her doctorate in Biology from the University of Freiburg and conducted postdoctoral research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. A former Max-Eder Junior Group Leader at Georg-Speyer-Haus, she has held key academic roles at the Frankfurt Cancer Institute and within the German Cancer Consortium. Prof. Sevenich is actively engaged in translational cancer research, mentoring, and diversity initiatives, and serves on the editorial boards of Frontiers in Immunology and Frontiers in Oncology.