معرفی
Rolf Kiessling is a Senior Professor at Karolinska Institutet, affiliated with the Department of Oncology-Pathology. He leads the research group Immune and gene therapy against cancer – Rolf Kiessling's team, and collaborates with the Tumor immunology – Andreas Lundqvist's research group. His work focuses on cancer immunotherapy, including natural killer (NK) cell biology, tumor immune evasion mechanisms, and combination therapies involving CAR T-cells and dendritic cell vaccines. Kiessling discovered NK cells in the 1970s, a foundational discovery in immunology. He has received the prestigious 2025 CIMT Lifetime Achievement Award for this work.
Education: Associate Professor in Immunology at Karolinska Institutet since 1978. Current positions include Senior Professor (since 2025) and Professor (2020–2024).
Research interests span tumor immunology, immunosuppressive pathways (e.g., MDSCs, IL-6/STAT3 signaling), and translational studies in melanoma and other cancers. His lab explores biomarkers for immune checkpoint therapies and mechanisms of resistance. Recent grants include SEK 33 million from Radiumhemmet’s Research Funds (2022) and SEK 75 million from the Swedish Cancer Society (2022).
Key achievements include demonstrating NK cell activation via missing self-recognition, developing adoptive T-cell therapies, and identifying myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) as therapeutic targets. Current projects include the PROMMEL study (precision radiation for checkpoint-resistant melanoma) and exploring oxidative stress in immunotherapy.
Labs/Teams: Leads his own research group and collaborates closely on tumor immunology. Future work emphasizes combining therapies to enhance immune responses and address treatment resistance.
