Local targeted immunotherapy for treatment of squamous cell carcinomas

In my PhD project, I have investigated how the use of laser can be incorporated into immunotherapeutic treatment of skin cancer. I have been testing topical delivery of monoclonal antibodies using ablative fractional laser, needle-free injection and conventional needle injection. My studies have shown that laser can deliver anti-PD-1 antibodies both in vitro and in vivo. When visualizing anti-PD-1 absorbed in the skin, we can see a horizontal homogeneous distribution that reaches the middle skin layer.

In continuation of that, I have investigated the effect of laser treatment on tumors in an in vivo squamous cell model, as well as in combination with immunotherapeutic substances with a focus on PD-1 inhibitors. The study showed that combined treatment with AFL and anti-PD-1 therapy resulted in significantly more tumors disappearing compared to the use of either anti-PD-1 therapy or laser alone. To investigate topical delivery, I used various techniques such as ELISA, fluorescence microscopy and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectometry (LA-ICP-MS).