Sandra Demaria

Sandra Demaria has pioneered the concept of radiation as an in situ cancer vaccine adjuvant, demonstrating that radiation-induced immunogenic cell death releases tumor antigens and danger signals that, when combined with conventional adjuvants or checkpoint inhibitors, generate systemic anti-tumor immune responses (abscopal effect). Her work has compared conventional adjuvants including alum and oil-in-water emulsions (MF59) in cancer vaccine settings, identifying their limitations in generating CD8+ T cell responses and the need for next-generation adjuvant platforms. She has developed combination protocols pairing focal radiation with adjuvanted cancer vaccines. Her research has expanded the definition of cancer vaccine adjuvants beyond molecular compounds to include physical modalities.