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Astrid Alflen

Improving Cancer Immunotherapies

Cancer immunotherapies have revolutionised treatments for patients with relapsed and refractory malignant disease. However, many patients do not respond or experience an early relapse after an initial therapy response. Treatment responses are limited by various factors that can be (T-) cell intrinsic or due to a suppressive tumour microenvironment.

Our research aims to better understand treatment response and failure in immuno-oncology and to personalise cancer immunotherapies by adjusting individual therapies to their immune status and the individual tumour microenvironment. One of our research projects focuses on the characterisation of age-related alterations in T cells, which is of critical importance in the growing field of cellular therapies like chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.

Positions held

  • Since 2023: Advanced Clinician Scientist funded by CHANCE, Department of Internal Medicine III, University Medical Center (UMC), Research Center for Immunotherapy (FZI) and Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), Mainz
  • Since 2021: Group leader, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, University Medical Center (UMC) Mainz
  • 2018 - 2020: Postdoctoral research fellow, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • 2013 - 2018: Research associate and residency, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, University Medical Center (UMC) Mainz

Education

  • 2022: Board exam in internal medicine, hematology and oncology
  • 2013: MD, University Medical Center Göttingen
  • 2007 - 2013: Medical Studies, University Medical Center Göttingen

Selected publications by Astrid Alflen

Alflen A, Aranda Lopez P, Hartmann A-K, Maxeiner J, Bosmann M, Sharma A, Platten J, Ries F, Beckert H, Ruf W and Radsak MP (2019) Neutrophil extracellular traps impair fungal clearance in a mouse model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.Immunobiology, 225(1):151867 Link

Kuemmel A, Alflen A, Schmidt LH, Sebastian M, Wiewrodt R, Schulze AB, Buhl R and Radsak M (2018) Soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 in lung cancer.Sci Rep, 8(1):10766 Link

Alflen A, Stadler N, Aranda Lopez P, Teschner D, Theobald M, Heß G and Radsak MP (2018) Idelalisib impairs TREM-1 mediated neutrophil inflammatory responses.Scientific Reports, 8(1):5558. Link

Stadler N, Hasibeder A, Aranda Lopez P, Teschner D, Desuki A, Kriege O, Weber ANR, Schulz C, Michel C, Heß G and Radsak MP (2017) The Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib abrogates triggering receptor on myeloid cells 1 mediated neutrophil activation. Haematologica, 102(5):e191-e194 Link