Dr Barbara Maier is fascinated by mechanisms of immunosuppression and immunotherapy in solid tumours. Her main research focus is myeloid cells in the tumour microenvironment and the draining lymph node, and how they shape anti-tumour immunity, cancer progression and invasion, and response to therapies. Dr Maier uses innovative single cell approaches to decipher the molecular states of tumour-associated immune cells. Her research includes both immune monitoring of patient’s tumour samples to directly assess disease complexity, as well as murine systems modelling human disease as a flexible experimental system allowing to address mechanistic questions. Dr Maier’s professional goal is to gain in-depth knowledge about processes shaping the tumour microenvironment and the tumour-draining lymph node until progression to lymph node metastasis occurs. She aims to translate her mechanistic findings into clinical studies, as her vision is to truly contribute to innovative, curative therapies for cancer patients.