Harari Lab members

Postdoctoral researcher CONTACT ME

Research interest

I am currently managing the immune-monitoring analyses of the NeoTIL clinical trial within the Hi-TIDe.

Background

I obtained a PhD in Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy from the University of Lausanne under the direction of Dr Alexandre Harari. During my PhD, I have worked on the development of NeoTIL, a novel strategy to generate adoptive cell transfer products for next-generation cellular immunotherapies.

Research associate CONTACT ME

Research interest

As a senior scientist in the Hi-TIDe, I’m currently responsible for the high-throughput discovery and characterization of cellular immune responses directed against unknown, shared and private tumor epitopes and participate in the development of new adoptive cell therapy strategies. 

Background

After obtaining my Master’s in Medical Biotechnology in Padua and Molecular Biology, in Bologna, I undertook a PhD in Oncology at the University of Padua, which is where my first interest in T cell engineering, and clinically oriented immunotherapy protocols developed. I worked as researcher in diagnostic oncology (hereditary disorders) and immuno-oncology for five years at the Veneto Oncology Institute before joining the Department of oncology UNIL CHUV in 2013. As Postdoctoral fellow, I developed new immunological assays, performed immunological monitoring for clinical studies and worked at the identification of personal tumor epitopes among patients.

Technician CONTACT ME

Research interest

I am involved in developing a high-throughput platform to interrogate patients' immunity against private antigens and to identify highly functional T cells (and TCRs) for adoptive cell therapy (ACT). I also take part in the analysis of the immunological status and immune responses of patients enrolled in clinical studies.

 Background

I graduated from the HES-SO Valais where I obtained my Master’s in Life Sciences - Applied Biosciences. During my studies and especially during my master’s thesis, I constructed and analyzed the expression of CAR molecules intended for use in ACT. I am currently working as a biomedical analysis technician within the Hi-TIDe.

PhD student CONTACT ME

Research interest

Having a deep interest in understanding human health and disease, I started a PhD in 2019 under the direction of Dr Alexandre Harari. My project focusses on the dynamics and profiles of bulk and tumor-specific TILs in personalized cellular immunotherapy.

Background

I am an Engineer in Life Sciences of the EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, specialized in molecular medicine and systems biology.

Research associate CONTACT ME

Research interest

Since joining the Hi-TIDe in 2013, I develop new molecular tools to analyze and characterize TCR.

Background

After a PhD in Molecular Biology at University of Lausanne in 2005, I moved to the CMU in Geneva to study the impact of rapamcyn on translation of oncogenes. In 2008, I joined the the Department of oncology UNIL CHUV in the laboratory of Pr Immanuel Luescher where I started to study CD8 T-cells and their receptor (TCR).

Research associate CONTACT ME

Research interest

Design, engineering and application of pMHC class I and II molecules for the detection and isolation of antigen-specific T cells.

Background

I have a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. In 1999, I joined the group of Pr Immanuel Luescher at the Lausanne Branch of Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research as a Postdoctoral fellow and subsequently as Assistant investigator and was the co-founder and co-manager of TCMetrix Ltd. I joined the Hi-TIDe in 2016 as Research associate and Manager of the Peptide and Tetramer Core Facility (PTCF).

Technician CONTACT ME

Research interest

As a technician within the Hi-TIDe, I closely interact with different scientists, analyse and discuss data aiming at the development of new assays with a special focus on TCR cloning.

Background

After obtaining my Master’s in Biochemistry at the University of Geneva in 1994, I worked for Glaxo and Serono Pharmaceutical Research Institute in the Chemokines and Functional Genomics fields where I acquired a variety of techniques in molecular and cellular biology. In 2007, after the acquisition of Serono by MERCK, I worked as Technology expert on antibody humanisation, optimisation and characterisation. Since joining the Department of oncology UNIL CHUV in 2013, I performed, validated and implemented cellular and molecular assays to interrogate T cells from clinical samples for research and in the context of clinical trials (immunological monitoring).

Postdoctoral researcher CONTACT ME

Research interest

My current work encompasses analyzing and elucidating the multifaceted dynamics of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and T-cell receptor repertoires with anti-tumor properties, aiming at translating the gained knowledge into further improving novel T-cell therapy for clinical benefits for cancer patients.
Background

I obtained my PhD in Genetics from the University of California – Davis on identifying and functionally characterizing parent-specific effects on early embryo development. My postdoctoral research at the University of Zurich revealed calcium signaling of cell-cell communications leading to programmed cell death during plant sexual reproduction.  Moving on to the Department of Computational Biology of the University of Lausanne, I shifted gears towards human genetics as a genomic analyst, identifying and validating germline mutations underlying eye diseases. Before joining Hi-TIDe in 2021, as a bioinformatician at the Pediatric Oncology Department of the University Children’s Hospital – Zurich, I established and employed diverse computational pipelines to analyze transcriptomic, genomic and epi-genomic data for deciphering various molecular mechanisms of childhood cancers driven by fusion oncoproteins. In parallel, I provided bioinformatic and statistical supports to the department’s Molecular Diagnostic Platform and Drug Response Screening program.

PhD student CONTACT ME

Research interest

I am interested in molecular biology, data sciences and the intersection between them to address relevant questions in cancer biology. I am currently doing my PhD, under the direction of Dr Alexandre Harari, focussed on analyzing clinical data to better understand the dynamics of T cell populations in tumors by developing new computational tools and data-driven models.

Background

In 2020, I graduated in Life Sciences and Technology, with a minor in biocomputing, from EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. Within this programme, I developed a deep understanding of genomics, oncology and computer sciences. I went on to gain experience in single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis and developing statistical models during my master’s thesis at the University of Lausanne’s Department of computation biology and during an internship at Metadvice.

MD fellow and PhD student CONTACT ME

Research interest

Investigation and translational analyses of the neoantigen landscape in colon cancer.

Background

I obtained my MD from the Medical School at the University of Valencia in 2009. After completing my specialization in medical oncology in 2015, I obtained an ESMO translational research fellowship and joined the Hi-TIDe. I am pursuing my translational and clinical research activities as MD-PhD student and as attending oncologist within the Service of immuno-oncology of the Department of oncology UNIL CHUV.

Senior technician CONTACT ME

Research interest

I joined the Hi-TIDe in 2020 to follow up with performing research projects in tumor immunology and participate to the development of new immunological assays. I contribute to the identification of tumor- and antigen-specific TCRs and at the automation of different screening approaches.

Technician CONTACT ME

Research interest

In 2020, I joined the Department of oncology UNIL CHUV where I experienced in bulk TCR sequencing and HLA typing within the Hi-TIDe. My main current interest concerns the execution and amelioration of innovative techniques (i.e. single cell RNA sequencing; TCR cloning and tests) in immuno-oncology with future clinical applications.

Background

In 2000, after obtaining my “Brevet de Technicien Supérieur” in Biochemistry from Amiens (France), and a degree in cell and tissue culture from animal and plant origin at Dijon (Frace), I started to work as a technician for different biotechnology companies. First in an upstream small-scale bioreactor unit, and later in a cell line development unit. This position involved the design and realization of cell & molecular biology experiments to generate high-producing cellular clone with high quality of protein of interest.

Research associate CONTACT ME

Research interest

New reagents to detect and characterize antigen-specific T cells.

Background

I gained my PhD in Chemical Biology at the University of Montpellier (France). In 2009, I joined the Lausanne branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, as a member of laboratory of Pr Immanuel Luescher with whom I founded TCMetrix Ltd, with Philippe Guillaume. I later joined the Hi-TIDe where I took on the management of the Peptide & Tetramer Core Facility (PTCF).