Engineering the Summer is an annual series following UChicago Pritzker Molecular Engineering students as they embark on summer internships and career experiences.
Immunoengineering PhD student Kristen Shema is spending the summer the same way she spends the school year – fighting cancer.
Shema, a rising fifth-year in the lab of William B. Ogden Professor of Molecular Engineering Melody Swartz at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME), is interning with the Precision Medicine Oncology department of AbbVie, helping the biopharmaceutical company develop more effective cancer therapies.
Shema shared some of her experiences for UChicago PME’s yearly Engineering the Summer series:
What first sparked your interest in your area of study?
Before starting my undergraduate studies in biomedical engineering at Drexel University, I had little insight into the career or research paths available to me. However, I was always drawn to the idea of applying biological concepts to solve clinical problems. Through my co-op experiences at Janssen R&D (Johnson & Johnson) and Integral Molecular, I was introduced to the field of immunotherapy development, particularly the identification of preclinical antibody therapies for conditions like autoimmune diseases and cancer. I was fascinated by the concept of modulating the immune system to either target or ignore specific tissues depending on the context, and especially by the idea of harnessing the tools nature has already provided.
What research are you focused on at UChicago PME?
My research in Dr. Swartz’s lab is focused on how the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) influences responses to cancer immunotherapies. Dr. Swartz’s lab has developed TIvatar, an in vitro model that maintains the various cells that make up the TIME to study initial responses to immunotherapies. I use this platform to examine how the various cells of the tumor and the tumor-draining lymph node contribute to immunotherapy response. In collaboration with UChicago Medicine Prof. Kunle Odunsi, I adapted TIvatar to screen immunotherapy responses in resected ovarian cancer, aiming to identify features that may predict immunotherapy response. I also study mechanisms that facilitate antigen spreading in the context of tumor immunotherapy.
What has been your experience so far this summer at your internship?
I am currently a Translational Oncology Research Intern in the Precision Medicine Oncology department at AbbVie. In this role, I use flow cytometry-based in vitro assays to investigate mechanisms of immunotherapy responses in hematologic cancers. Our team applies these insights to identify combination therapy strategies that may enhance the efficacy of AbbVie’s clinical-stage therapies.
What do you find most exciting about your internship?
I am particularly motivated by the potential impact of the work being done in AbbVie's Precision Medicine Oncology department. It is clear how my contributions can directly support the development and implementation of immunotherapies currently in clinical trials, with the goal of improving treatment efficacy while reducing side effects.
What impact do you think your field will have on the world in the next 10 to 20 years?
Immunotherapy has already transformed cancer treatment, offering durable responses in some patients. Over the next 10 to 20 years, I believe the field will continue to shift towards personalized approaches, driven by a deeper understanding of why certain patients respond to immunotherapy while others do not. As we expand and integrate clinical and preclinical datasets, we will be better equipped to identify predictive biomarkers and tumor mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance. This will allow for more precise patient stratification and rational design of combination therapies, ultimately making immunotherapy more effective, accessible, and broadly applicable across tumor tissues. The long-term impact will be a move toward treatments that are not only more effective but also less toxic, improving both survival and quality of life for patients.
What role do you hope to play in that vision of the future?
I hope to lead cross-disciplinary research efforts that bridge basic science, clinical insight, and translational application. My goal is to guide research that brings together experts from diverse backgrounds such as immunology, bioengineering, computational biology, and clinical oncology to tackle the complex challenges that limit immunotherapy efficacy today. I aim to not only generate new scientific knowledge, but to guide its application toward strategies that improve patient outcomes. By fostering collaboration across disciplines and institutions, I hope to drive the development of personalized, mechanism-informed therapies that are both innovative and clinically impactful.
What else would you like people reading the article to know about you, your internship or your research area?
Advancing impactful therapy solutions will require cross-disciplinary collaboration among experts with diverse scientific and clinical backgrounds. Integrating the perspectives of healthcare professionals, basic researchers investigating disease mechanisms, and industry scientists and engineers is essential to the development of therapies with meaningful clinical impact.