Viktoria Flossmann
Visiting Researcher
- 5th year medical student
I am a medical student at the University of Heidelberg in Germany pursuing my research in Oxford as a contribution towards my medical doctorate degree in Germany.
In the Transplantation Research and Immunology Group (TRIG), I am a part of the immune monitoring team for the TWO Study – a randomised controlled phase II clinical trial assessing the feasibility of reducing post-transplant immunosuppression through the infusion of regulatory T cells (Tregs) after kidney transplantation in order to prevent transplant rejection.
The TWO Study is critical for future patient care as toxic effects of current immunosuppressive drugs and the increased incidence of disease and malignancies concurrent with systemic immunosuppression represent major limitations of long-term outcomes after solid organ transplantation.
The aim of monitoring the immune phenotypes is to assess any changes occurring in the patient’s immune response as well as studying the effect of Treg cell therapy on different immune cell populations. There are several time points before and after transplantation.
After this research period I intend to graduate from the University of Heidelberg and engage in a career in surgery. I am hoping to continue doing research in the future.