Rate My Professor Marianne Quiding Järbrink

Marianne Quiding-Järbrink is Professor of Infectious Immunology, Head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Head of the Institute of Biomedicine at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg. She earned her doctoral degree from the University of Gothenburg in 1994, with a thesis entitled 'Induction of immunity in human mucosal tissues.' Her career at the University of Gothenburg spans decades, during which she has led significant research in mucosal immunology and tumor immunology. As head of her research group, she oversees studies on immune responses in colorectal cancer and peritoneal metastases.

Quiding-Järbrink's research elucidates the role of different T cell populations—such as conventional CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, NK cells, Th1 cells, mucosa-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, and γδ T cells—in anti-tumor immunity within intestinal tumors. She investigates how regulatory T cells (Treg) inhibit anti-tumor activity, enabling tumors to evade immune recognition. Key aspects include the expression of endothelial adhesion molecules and chemokines that shape tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, the activity of unconventional T cells in primary and metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC), cytotoxic mechanisms of tumor-infiltrating T cells, and the impact of Tregs on lymphocyte recruitment and effector functions in the tumor microenvironment. Her earlier work focused on immune responses to Helicobacter pylori and mucosal immunity. Notable publications include 'CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in Helicobacter pylori-infected patients' (Clinical and Experimental Immunology, 2001), 'Regulatory T Cells from Colon Cancer Patients Inhibit Effector T Cell Function in Mesenteric Lymph Nodes' (Cancer Immunology Research, 2016), 'Tumor-infiltrating mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells correlate with poor prognosis of colorectal cancer' (Oncotarget, 2019), and 'γδ T cells in human colon adenocarcinomas comprise mainly Vδ1 Vδ2' (Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy, 2024). This body of work contributes to advancing immunomodulatory therapies, such as checkpoint blockade, for gastrointestinal tumors by enhancing anti-tumor T cell immunity and countering Treg-mediated suppression. She has moderated lectures by Nobel Laureates and leads efforts to relate immunological parameters to long-term patient outcomes.