Hello, my name is Katrin and I am in the second year of my PhD in the Rosenfeld lab. I joined just about a year ago after previously finishing my Bachelors in biology at Villanova University just outside Philadelphia, PA.

My interest in cancer research started in 2012 when I worked for Miltenyi Biotech GmbH in Germany. There, I was part of a government funded project that looked at using patient specific mutated mRNA to develop a personalized treatment of malignant melanoma patients. We aimed to isolate patient exosomal mRNA, screen it for mutations, and transfer it into dendritic cells. The dendritic cells would then present the mutations as antigen peptides and could be used as tumour specific therapy.

My project in the lab here focuses on early stage non-small cell lung cancer. I want to look into the detectability of ctDNA at diagnosis as well as its pattern throughout treatment and follow up.

In my free time I enjoy to catch up with my friends around the world. I also love to go for a swim, allowing myself to disconnect as well as spending time with my friends and teammates.