Sacha Gnjatic
Papers
3
Total Citations
23
H-Index
2
About
Sacha Gnjatic is a leading immunologist whose research focuses on harnessing the immune system to fight cancer, with a particular emphasis on viral-associated malignancies and immunotherapy biomarker development. His work has been instrumental in understanding how therapeutic vaccines can reprogram the tumor microenvironment. Gnjatic’s most cited contributions center on a groundbreaking "window of opportunity" trial for HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer (HPVOPC), which accounts for nearly 75% of new oropharyngeal cancer diagnoses. He investigated ADXS11-001, a live attenuated *Listeria monocytogenes* immunotherapy engineered to express the HPV E7 oncoprotein. Through this work, he demonstrated that administering this bacterial-based vaccine prior to robotic surgery could significantly enhance HPV-specific T cell immunity within the tumor. His studies revealed critical changes in both local and peripheral T cell diversity, showing that the immunotherapy could successfully redirect the immune response against viral antigens. These findings, published in high-impact venues like *Cancer Research*, have established a proof-of-concept for neoadjuvant immunotherapy in virally-driven cancers. Gnjatic’s research continues to shape the field of cancer immunology, providing a roadmap for combining therapeutic vaccination with standard surgical care to improve patient outcomes.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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