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18/01/2022 - General information

Lilian Boll obtains one of the grants of the INPhINIT PhD program of La Caixa Foundation

The predoctoral researcher Lilian Boll from the Evolutionary Genomics Research Group of the GRIB (IMIM-UPF) has obtained one of the 65 grants of the INPhINIT PhD Program of La Caixa Foundation for her project "Identification of neo-epitopes in cancer derived from non-canonical proteins and their potential use in immunotherapy" to study neoantigens.

Neoantigens are tumor-specific antigens generated by mutations in tumor cells, which are only expressed in tumor cells. "One of the approaches in immunotherapy is to block cellular checkpoints so that the immune system recognizes tumor cells by their neoantigens," explains Lilian Boll. "With data from oncology patients, I want to characterize neoantigens genomically and structurally to better understand how we can use them to predict treatment response in patients" adds the researcher.

This grant, aimed at researchers of all nationalities who are interested in carrying out doctoral studies in Spain or Portugal, will allow Boll to carry out the project over 3 years and with a total financial endowment of 122,592 euros for the entire period. In addition, the grant includes a comprehensive complementary training program in soft skills, researcher welfare and preparation for the future.

The 2021 call for applications received 1,308 applications. Of the 65 fellows selected, 24 are Spanish, from 11 different provinces, and 41 are foreigners, from 30 countries.

Lilian Boll

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