Sophia Karagiannis

Sophia Karagiannis is a translational cancer immunologist with academic and biotechnology experience in the USA and UK. She heads a cancer antibody discovery team focused on dissecting the crosstalk between patient immune cells and cancer and on the design of novel agents for solid tumours such as melanoma, ovarian and breast cancers. Key areas of research include evaluating patient-derived B cells and their expressed antibodies, engineering antibodies of any specificity or class/isotype, including Fc-engineered antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates. The group are studying key components of the immune response in solid tumours, including Fc receptor-expressing immune effector cells which interact with and have the potential to be activated by antibodies against cancer.

The Karagiannis group is the first internationally to design, evaluate and translate anti-tumour IgE class antibodies from concept to clinical testing. Karagiannis is founder of Epsilogen Ltd (formerly IGEM Therapeutics Ltd.), the first immuno-oncology company dedicated to developing IgE therapeutic agents for cancer. She is author of several patents on antibody engineering for cancer therapy. She serves as Secretary of the international AllergoOncology consortium, focused on the interface between Th2 immunity, allergies, IgE and cancer, a Working Group of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.