On Tuesday 15 April at 13:00, Klara Rasmussen Bollerup Lanng defends her PhD dissertation entitled "STING engagement in radiotherapy - Biological and methodological insights into tumor immunity". 

The immune system is essential for detecting and eliminating malignancies, with the tumor immune microenvironment playing a critical role in shaping responses to anti-cancer therapies. In a new PhD project from Aarhus university, new biological and methodological insights into the tumor immune cell landscape are being investigated. 

Harnessing the body’s natural defenses to combat cancer is an area of growing therapeutic interest, with the cGAS-STING pathway emerging as a key target due to its potential to activate a strong anti-tumor immune response. This study investigates the cGAS-STING pathway and its role in shaping anti-cancer immunity and treatment response. Focusing on head and neck cancer and radiotherapy, the study highlights how the tumor immune microenvironment influences therapeutic outcomes. It also examines how methodological choices in preclinical models impact immune cell composition in the tumor microenvironment and reveals key differences between tumor implantation sites. Additionally, this thesis introduces a comprehensive 37-color immunophenotyping panel for flow cytometry, as a new tool for studying tumor-immune interactions. These findings enhance our understanding of STING-driven immunity, its therapeutic potential in cancer treatment, and provide valuable methodological advancements for future research.

The summary is written by the PhD student.

The defence is public and takes place in building 1262-101 (Samfundsmedicinsk auditorium), Aarhus University. Please see the press release for more information. 

Contact

PhD student Klara Rasmussen Bollerup Lanng
Mail: krl@biomed.au.dk 
Phone: (+45) 23611251

Read full press release