Julia Davydova

Julia Davydova is a Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Minnesota with cross-affiliation in the Institute for Molecular Virology and Center for Genome Engineering. Her research focuses on developing adenovirus-based therapeutics for hard-to-treat cancers, particularly pancreatic and breast malignancies.

Her expertise centers on oncolytic virotherapy and viroimmunotherapy, specializing in engineering conditionally replicating adenoviruses with enhanced tumor selectivity. Key research areas include overcoming treatment resistance in pancreatic cancer, targeting breast cancer stem cells, and mitigating cytokine-related toxicities through strategic vector modifications. Her work integrates molecular virology, tumor immunology, and genetic engineering to develop precision cancer therapeutics.

Recent publications demonstrate a clear trajectory toward combinatorial approaches that pair oncolytic viruses with immunomodulators (GM-CSF, TNF inhibitors) to enhance anti-tumor immunity while reducing adverse effects. The research shows increasing focus on translational challenges including systemic delivery optimization and clinical implementation strategies.

Dr. Davydova has secured substantial NIH funding as Principal Investigator for multiple high-impact projects:

• Advancing Systematic Delivery of Oncolytic Adenovirus for Pancreatic Cancer (2023-2028)
• Adenovirus-Mediated Viroimmunotherapy for ER+ Breast Cancer (2022-2024)
• Novel Theranostics for Pancreatic Cancer (2014-2020)

She leads an interdisciplinary research team spanning surgical oncology, virology, and genome engineering at the University of Minnesota, maintaining active collaborations with Mayo Clinic researchers to accelerate therapeutic development from bench to bedside.