Vibeke Mindahl Rafa

Vibeke obtained a PhD in immunology and cancer immunotherapy from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).

As part of her studies, she focussed on tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and their ability to kill tumour cells, developing a novel T cell expansion technology (an artificial antigen-presenting cell) which can be used to provide expanded TILs with an increased killing capacity of tumor cells.

This process, which led to a patent application being filed and a spin-out company being formed from DTU, was the inspiration behind her progressing a career as a patent attorney.

During her studies, she also spent time at the University of Tübingen in Germany collaborating on technology development around generating microtumours from tumor samples, giving her a deep understanding of T cell immunology, cell-based immunotherapies, cancer immunotherapy, tumour microenvironment and flow cytometry.

As a co-inventor on a patent application, she has a strong appreciation of how inventors and scientists think and what creates value for them and has experienced first-hand how a patent can play a vital role in generating a spin-out company. She is a strong communicator and deeply passionate about helping scientific developments reach their full potential for innovators and patients alike.