Sigrid holds a master’s degree in biotechnology from NMBU. She wrote her master thesis in collaboration with Emma Haapaniemi’s lab with the title: Optimization of CRISPR-Cas9 Genome Editing in Human PBMCs. After her master's, she was an Erasmus+ student in the Bak Lab in Aarhus, Denmark where she assisted in various projects with CRISPR/Cas9 and base editing. One year later, she got hired as a Research Assistant in the Bak lab where she worked with correcting specific patient mutations with prime editing. This fall, she started her PhD project in the Haapaniemi Lab.
In PRIMA, Sigrid will be working on engineering T-cells with optimized TCR knock-in and enhanced tumor-killing capacity.
Two obligatory questions!
What brought you to PRIMA?
As a child I told my parents that my dream was to get rid of cancer. Not because I particularly knew anything about cancer, but because I didn’t want people to suffer and die. However, as I grew older, I realized it is not possible to get completely rid of this disease, and dying is (unfortunately) something that no one can escape. When that’s said, I’m thrilled to be part of PRIMA and to make a difference in the field of cancer immunotherapy. My dream has changed to “get rid” of cancer to develop precision immunotherapy against hard-to-treat cancers.
What are you passionate about?
I love all outdoor activities, mainly running, cross country skiing and hiking. In my spare time I like to read novels, knitting and solving crosswords. I’m also very fond of delicious food and pastry- cinnamon buns are my go-to!
