Alex Misiaszek '25 Honors Thesis Work Published in Molecular Pharmaceutics

Alex Misiaszek's '25 honors thesis work has been published in Molecular Pharmaceutics. 

The article, "Intratumoral Immunotherapy with Cowpea Mosaic Virus and Interleukin-12 Eliminates Established Treated Tumors and Generates Robust Systemic Immunity to Suppress the Growth of Untreated Metastatic Tumors," is the culmination of four years of Alex's work in Dr. Steve Fiering's lab. The lab researches methods of intratumoral immunotherapy, activating the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells as a treatment for metastatic disease. Researchers in the lab  focus on the cowpea mosaic virus as an immunostimulatory adjuvant that activates potent anti-cancer immunity in mammals. Alex's study focused on combining this virus with in vivo transfection of interleukin-12. Studies found the combination therapy to be powerful, abolishing 100% of local tumors across multiple replicates in two different tumor models and exerting significant control over metastatic tumors, dramatically improving probability of survival in mice. Interleukin-12 transfection is already being investigated in Phase II clinical trials for metastatic melanoma in humans, and the study demonstrates how this already promising treatment can be even further improved when combined with cowpea mosaic virus.

Alex says of his experience in the lab: "Dr. Fiering has been an incredible mentor to me since the day we met. We connected the summer before I matriculated to Dartmouth over zoom after I cold-emailed him to inquire about positions for undergrads in his lab. For four years, he has been my biggest supporter, giving me the space to try out my ideas, learn from my mistakes, and grow as a scientist. The opportunity to pursue research during undergrad was one of the major aspects of Dartmouth that attracted me to this school when I was applying, and Dr. Fiering made it possible for me to fulfill this hope far beyond what I ever dreamed would be possible." 

Kudos to Alex!