Rate My Professor Sarah Saunderson

Dr Sarah Saunderson is a Research Fellow and Teaching Fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology within the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Otago. Holding a PhD, she has established herself as a key contributor to tumour immunology research. Her primary research focus centres on genetic engineering of T cells and antibody engineering for solid tumour immunotherapy. This includes developing strategies to enhance the safety and efficacy of immunotherapies by exploiting the tumour microenvironment, such as pH-dependent antibody binding and dual-signal safety switches for engineered immune cells. Saunderson's work builds on earlier discoveries in her laboratory, including mechanisms by which CD169 mediates the capture of exosomes in spleen and lymph node, and the role of natural killer (NK) cells in dendritic cell-based immunotherapy.

Throughout her career at the University of Otago, where she advanced from doctoral student to Research Fellow in 2019, Saunderson has co-authored numerous influential publications. Notable works include 'CD169 mediates the capture of exosomes in spleen and lymph node' (Blood, 2014), 'Procoagulant and immunogenic properties of melanoma exosomes, microvesicles and apoptotic vesicles' (Oncotarget, 2016), 'The CD169 sialoadhesin molecule mediates cytotoxic T-cell responses to tumour apoptotic vesicles' (Immunology & Cell Biology, 2016), and more recent contributions such as 'Noise-Reduction and Sensitivity-Enhancement of a Sleeping Beauty-Based Tet-On System' (Genes, 2022), 'Sleeping Beauty kit sets provide rapid and accessible expansion of human NK cells' (Immunology & Cell Biology, 2023), and 'Development of a compact bidirectional promoter-driven dual chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) construct targeting CD19 and CD20' (Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, 2024). She received a Marsden Fund Fast-Start grant in 2018 for $300,000 to investigate safer antibody-based immunotherapies for solid tumours, mentored by Dr James Ussher. Saunderson also supervises postgraduate students and contributes to collaborative research in areas like biomaterial scaffolds and microbial genomics. Her publications demonstrate significant impact in advancing cancer immunotherapy and immune cell engineering.