Saskia Meyer

• Ma, J.; Meyer, Saskia; Olweus, Johanna; Jin, C. & Yu, D. (2025). An adjusted droplet digital PCR assay for quantification of vector copy number in CAR-T cell and TCR-T cell products. Immuno-Oncology and Technology (IOTECH). 25. doi: 10.1016/j.iotech.2024.101031. Full text in Research Archive
• Spasevska, Ivana; Sharma, Ankush; Steen, Chloe Beate; Josefsson, Sarah Elisabet; Blaker, Yngvild Nuvin & Kolstad, Arne [Show all 26 contributors for this article] (2023). Diversity of intratumoral regulatory T cells in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Blood Advances. ISSN 2473-9529. 7(23), p. 7216–7230. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023010158. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract Tumor-infiltrating regulatory T cells (Tregs) contribute to an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Despite extensive studies, the prognostic impact of tumor-infiltrating Tregs in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (B-NHLs) remains unclear. Emerging studies suggest substantial heterogeneity in the phenotypes and suppressive capacities of Tregs, emphasizing the importance of understanding Treg diversity and the need for additional markers to identify highly suppressive Tregs. Here, we applied single-cell RNA sequencing and T-cell receptor sequencing combined with high-dimensional cytometry to decipher the heterogeneity of intratumoral Tregs in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma (FL), compared with that in nonmalignant tonsillar tissue. We identified 3 distinct transcriptional states of Tregs: resting, activated, and unconventional LAG3+FOXP3− Tregs. Activated Tregs were enriched in B-NHL tumors, coexpressed several checkpoint receptors, and had stronger immunosuppressive activity compared with resting Tregs. In FL, activated Tregs were found in closer proximity to CD4+ and CD8+ T cells than other cell types. Furthermore, we used a computational approach to develop unique gene signature matrices, which were used to enumerate each Treg subset in cohorts with bulk gene expression data. In 2 independent FL cohorts, activated Tregs was the major subset, and high abundance was associated with adverse outcome. This study demonstrates that Tregs infiltrating B-NHL tumors are transcriptionally and functionally diverse. Highly immunosuppressive activated Tregs were enriched in tumor tissue but absent in the peripheral blood. Our data suggest that a deeper understanding of Treg heterogeneity in B-NHL could open new paths for rational drug design, facilitating selective targeting to improve antitumor immunity.

• Meyer, Saskia; Blaas, Isaac; Bollineni, Ravi Chand; Delic-Sarac, Marina; Tran, Trung & Knetter, Cathrine [Show all 20 contributors for this article] (2023). Prevalent and immunodominant CD8 T cell epitopes are conserved in SARS-CoV-2 variants. Cell reports. 42(1). doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.111995. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) is driven by mutations that mediate escape from neutralizing antibodies. There is also evidence that mutations can cause loss of T cell epitopes. However, studies on viral escape from T cell immunity have been hampered by uncertain estimates of epitope prevalence. Here, we map and quantify CD8 T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2-specific minimal epitopes in blood drawn from April to June 2020 from 83 COVID-19 convalescents. Among 37 HLA ligands eluted from five prevalent alleles and an additional 86 predicted binders, we identify 29 epitopes with an immunoprevalence ranging from 3% to 100% among individuals expressing the relevant HLA allele. Mutations in VOC are reported in 10.3% of the epitopes, while 20.6% of the non-immunogenic peptides are mutated in VOC. The nine most prevalent epitopes are conserved in VOC. Thus, comprehensive mapping of epitope prevalence does not provide evidence that mutations in VOC are driven by escape of T cell immunity.

• Riise, Jon; Meyer, Saskia; Blaas, Isaac; Chopra, Adity; Tran, Trung & Delic-Sarac, Marina [Show all 22 contributors for this article] (2022). Rituximab-treated patients with lymphoma develop strong CD8 T-cell responses following COVID-19 vaccination. British Journal of Haematology. ISSN 0007-1048. 197(6), p. 697–708. doi: 10.1111/bjh.18149. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  B-cell depletion induced by anti-cluster of differentiation 20 (CD20) monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy of patients with lymphoma is expected to impair humoral responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination, but effects on CD8 T-cell responses are unknown. Here, we investigated humoral and CD8 T-cell responses following two vaccinations in patients with lymphoma undergoing anti-CD20-mAb therapy as single agent or in combination with chemotherapy or other anti-neoplastic agents during the last 9 months prior to inclusion, and in healthy age-matched blood donors. Antibody measurements showed that seven of 110 patients had antibodies to the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein 3–6 weeks after the second dose of vaccination. Peripheral blood CD8 T-cell responses against prevalent human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class I SARS-CoV-2 epitopes were determined by peptide-HLA multimer analysis. Strong CD8 T-cell responses were observed in samples from 20/29 patients (69%) and 12/16 (75%) controls, with similar median response magnitudes in the groups and some of the strongest responses observed in patients. We conclude that despite the absence of humoral immune responses in fully SARS-CoV-2-vaccinated, anti-CD20-treated patients with lymphoma, their CD8 T-cell responses reach similar frequencies and magnitudes as for controls. Patients with lymphoma on B-cell depleting therapies are thus likely to benefit from current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, and development of vaccines aimed at eliciting T-cell responses to non-Spike epitopes might provide improved protection.

• Mester, Simone; Evers, Mitchell; Meyer, Saskia; Nilsen, Jeannette; Greiff, Victor & Sandlie, Inger [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2021). Extended plasma half-life of albumin-binding domain fused human IgA upon pH-dependent albumin engagement of human FcRn in vitro and in vivo. mAbs. ISSN 1942-0862. 13:1893888(1), p. 1–14. doi: 10.1080/19420862.2021.1893888. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Albumin has a serum half-life of 3 weeks in humans. This feature can be used to improve the pharmacokinetics of shorter-lived biologics. For instance, an albumin-binding domain (ABD) can be used to recruit albumin. A prerequisite for such design is that the ABD-albumin interaction does not interfere with pH-dependent binding of albumin to the human neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), as FcRn acts as the principal regulator of the half-life of albumin. Thus, there is a need to know how ABDs act in the context of fusion partners and human FcRn. Here, we studied the binding and transport properties of human immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1), fused to a Streptococcus protein G-derived engineered ABD, in in vitro and in vivo systems harboring human FcRn. IgA has great potential as a therapeutic protein, but its short half-life is a major drawback. We demonstrate that ABD-fused IgA1 binds human FcRn pH-dependently and is rescued from cellular degradation in a receptor-specific manner in the presence of albumin. This occurs when ABD is fused to either the light or the heavy chain. In human FcRn transgenic mice, IgA1-ABD in complex with human albumin, gave 4-6-fold extended half-life compared to unmodified IgA1, where the light chain fusion showed the longest half-life. When the heavy chain-fused protein was pre-incubated with an engineered human albumin with improved FcRn binding, cellular rescue and half-life was further enhanced. Our study reveals how an ABD, which does not interfere with albumin binding to human FcRn, may be used to extend the half-life of IgA.

• Evers, Mitchell; Broeke, Toine Ten; Jansen, J.H. Marco; Nederend, Maaike; Hamdan, Firas & Reiding, Karli R. [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2020). Novel chimerized IgA CD20 antibodies: Improving neutrophil activation against CD20-positive malignancies. mAbs. ISSN 1942-0862. 12(1). doi: 10.1080/19420862.2020.1795505. Full text in Research Archive

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• Gjerdingen, Thea Johanne; Meyer, Saskia; Weis-Banke, Stine Emilie; Hansen, Marie; Ma, Jing & Yu, Di [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2026). InsighT-1: Translating an academic TCR program into a GMP-compliant cell therapy for TdT+ ALL/LBL. Full text in Research Archive
• Gjerdingen, Thea Johanne; Meyer, Saskia; Weis-Banke, Stine Emilie; Hansen, Marie; Ma, Jing & Yu, Di [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2026). INSIGHT-1: TRANSLATING AN ACADEMIC TCR PROGRAM INTO A GMP-COMPLIANT CELL THERAPY FOR TdT+ ALL/LBL. Cytotherapy. ISSN 1465-3249. 28(5), p. 102861–102861. doi: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2026.102861. Full text in Research Archive
• Meyer, Saskia (2025). Towards clinical manufacturing of a CD8 restricted T cell receptor targeting TdT. doi: https:/www.meeting.cimt.eu/speakers-and-program. Full text in Research Archive
• Meyer, Saskia (2024). Quantification of vector copy number in TCR-T and CAR-T cell products. Full text in Research Archive
• Meyer, Saskia (2024). Process development for clinical manufacturing of a CD8 restricted T cell receptor targeting TdT. Full text in Research Archive
• Meyer, Saskia (2023). The ex vivo expansion time affects functionality of engineered CD8 T cells manufactured for TCR-based adoptive T cell therapy. Full text in Research Archive

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