Immunotherapy and vaccine development

Professor of Experimental Cancer Medicine and Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology, University of Southampton and Southampton University Hospitals

NCRI Translational Studies Group
London Lung Cancer Clinical Studies Steering Group
Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
Cancer Immunotherapy Collaborative
American Society of Clinical Oncology
NCRI Melanoma Clinical Trials Group
European Society of Medical Oncology
Association of Cancer Physicians
American Society of Haematology
European Society for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy

Christian Ottensmeier is Professor in Experimental Cancer Medicine. He graduated in Münster, Germany and began his specialist training there. After a 3 year training fellowship in the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, he moved to Southampton. He completed his oncology training and also undertook his PhD here. Professor Ottensmeier has been a consultant in medical oncology since 2000. Clinically his interests are thoracic malignancies and melanoma, and he has helped to develop several of national NCRI studies in lung cancer. He manages a broad and active clinical trials portfolio in both lung cancer and melanoma.

The overarching aim of his laboratory group is the preclinical development and early phase clinical testing of strategies to induce anti-tumour immune responses in patients (http://www.som.soton.ac.uk/about/staff/listing/profile.asp?cho). After an initial focus on B cell malignancies the majority of the work is now in solid tumours. This has led to three linked but distinct areas of investigation: Detailed immunological evaluation of the effect of immunological intervention in patients, assay development and validation, and finally mechanistic studies in murine models as well as human modelling of immune responses to vaccination for further preclinical cancer vaccine development. The aim is to complete the loop back into the clinic.

I was born in Germany and completed my medical degree in Munster, Germany. After beginning my clinical training and specialistion there, I spent several years in Boston, USA. I came to the UK in 1994 and was appointed as a consultant in Southampton in 2000. I am CRUK Senior Clinical Research Fellow, although my academic work is also funded by other charities.

I am married with two children and enjoy spending time with the family. I love reading and cooking when I get the time to do so.