Dr. Elena-Sophie Prigge
I completed my experimental medical thesis on the natural history of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and the use of diagnostic biomarkers in the head and neck region in the Department of Applied Tumor Biology. Ensuing from my deep interest in understanding the molecular biology of cancers that are caused by HPV and to thereby identify targets for future diagnostic or therapeutic applications, I continued to work as a postdoctoral fellow on projects at the interface between scientific research and medical application.
My particular focus lies on the development of novel therapeutic strategies against HPV-induced pre-cancers and cancers and advancing them from the pre-clinical to the clinical stage. Within the EXIST-funded ViMREX project I am working as a project leader to develop a topical de-methylating therapeutic against HPV-induced pre-cancers of the anogenital tract. This project has fascinated me right from the start since it covers the full spectrum of translational work in cancer research and holds the potential to sustainably improve patient’s health.
Publications / Output
Heller M, Prigge ES, Kaczorowski A, von Knebel Doeberitz M, Hohenfellner M, Duensing S. APOBEC3A Expression in Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Pathobiology. 2018;85(3):169-178. doi: 10.1159/000479007. Epub 2017 Nov 23. PubMed PMID: 29166639.
Prigge ES, Arbyn M, von Knebel Doeberitz M, Reuschenbach M. Diagnostic accuracy of p16(INK4a) immunohistochemistry in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Cancer. 2017 Mar 1;140(5):1186-1198. doi: 10.1002/ijc.30516. Epub 2016 Dec 2. Review. PubMed PMID: 27859245.
Prigge ES, von Knebel Doeberitz M, Reuschenbach M. Clinical relevance and implications of HPV-induced neoplasia in different anatomical locations. Mutat Res Rev Mutat Res. 2017 Apr – Jun;772:51-66. doi: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2016.06.005. Epub 2016 Jun 22. Review. PubMed PMID: 28528690.
Stich M, Ganss L, Puschhof J, Prigge ES, Reuschenbach M, Gutierrez A, Vinokurova S, von Knebel Doeberitz M. 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (DAC) treatment downregulates the HPV E6 and E7 oncogene expression and blocks neoplastic growth of HPV-associated cancer cells. Oncotarget. 2016 Jul 16;8(32):52104-2117. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.10631. eCollection 2017 Aug 8. PubMed PMID: 28881717; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5581016.
Reuschenbach M, Pauligk C, Karbach J, Rafiyan MR, Kloor M, Prigge ES, Sauer M, Al-Batran SE, Kaufmann AM, Schneider A, Jäger E, von Knebel Doeberitz M. A phase 1/2a study to test the safety and immunogenicity of a p16(INK4a) peptide vaccine in patients with advanced human papillomavirus-associated cancers. Cancer. 2016 May 1;122(9):1425-33. doi: 10.1002/cncr.29925. Epub 2016 Mar 7. PubMed PMID: 26949913.
Reuschenbach M, Huebbers CU, Prigge ES, Bermejo JL, Kalteis MS, Preuss SF, Seuthe IM, Kolligs J, Speel EJ, Olthof N, Kremer B, Wagner S, Klussmann JP, Vinokurova S, von Knebel Doeberitz M. Methylation status of HPV16 E2-binding sites classifies subtypes of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancers. Cancer. 2015 Jun 15;121(12):1966-76. doi: 10.1002/cncr.29315. Epub 2015 Mar 2. PubMed PMID: 25731880.
Prigge ES, Toth C, Dyckhoff G, Wagner S, Müller F, Wittekindt C, Freier K, Plinkert P, Hoffmann J, Vinokurova S, Klussmann JP, von Knebel Doeberitz M, Reuschenbach M. p16(INK4a) /Ki-67 co-expression specifically identifies transformed cells in the head and neck region. Int J Cancer. 2015 Apr 1;136(7):1589-99. doi: 10.1002/ijc.29130. Epub 2014 Aug 19. PubMed PMID: 25104331.
Koerber SA, Schoneweg C, Slynko A, Krug D, Haefner MF, Herfarth K, Debus J, Sterzing F, von Knebel Doeberitz M, Prigge ES, Reuschenbach M. Influence of human papillomavirus and p16(INK4a) on treatment outcome of patients with anal cancer. Radiother Oncol. 2014 Dec;113(3):331-6. doi: 10.1016/j.radonc.2014.11.013. Epub 2014 Nov 22. PubMed PMID: 25465729.
Prigge ES, Urban K, Stiegler S, Müller M, Kloor M, Mai S, Ottstadt M, Lohr F, Wenz F, Wagner S, Wittekindt C, Klussmann JP, Hampl M, von Knebel Doeberitz M, Reuschenbach M. No evidence of oncogenic KRAS mutations in squamous cell carcinomas of the anogenital tract and head and neck region independent of human papillomavirus and p16(INK4a) status. Hum Pathol. 2014 Nov;45(11):2347-54. doi: 10.1016/j.humpath.2014.08.001. Epub 2014 Aug 23. PubMed PMID: 25257576.