Dr Judith Wienke

Dr. Judith Wienke is a medical doctor and biomedical scientist specialized in translational immunology. She was trained in pediatric immunology and human tissue immunology and currently is positioned at the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Her research interest lies in developing innovative immunotherapeutic interventions for pediatric solid tumors. She focuses on T cell activation and (dys)regulation in tumors, to identify and exploit immunologic targets for therapeutic purposes. 

Dr. Wienke is currently deciphering neuroblastoma’s immune-environment and immunosuppressive mechanisms by multi-omics, including scRNAseq and proteomics, focusing on interactions between T cells and the tumor microenvironment. She recently identified and validated an immunosuppressive axis in neuroblastoma which is planned to be targeted in a Phase I trial. In parallel, she is implementing complex 3D tumoroid-lymphocyte co-cultures to test new interventions in vitro. Furthermore, she  applies novel (engineering) strategies to have (CAR-)T cells overcome identified immunosuppressive signals and dysfunctionality. She is currently pursuing a scientific fellowship to ‘arm’ CAR-T-cells against suppression by neuroblastoma at Charité-Universitätsmedizin in Berlin, Germany.