Vibeke Mindahl Rafa

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

She completed her master’s degree in immunology, focusing on developing a novel T cell expansion technology aimed at improving the quality of T cells used in adoptive T cell transfer, a cell-based cancer immunotherapy offered to late-stage metastatic cancer patients. During her PhD, she further developed and refined the T cell expansion technology by testing it on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes to enhance their ability to target and kill tumor cells.

Additionally, as part of her PhD, she collaborated with the University of Tübingen in Germany to develop a technology for generating microtumors from patient samples, which can predict the treatment outcomes of cell-based immunotherapy for cancer patients.

As a result of her PhD, a patent application was filed, leading to the formation of a spin-out company from DTU. This company focuses on commercializing the T cell expansion technology. Her role as co-inventor on the patent application has given her valuable insight into the mindset of inventors and scientists, and what creates value for them. From a business perspective, she has experienced first-hand how a patent application can be essential in forming a spin-out company and raising funds.