October 2026 - Julia Maria Ressler

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Dr. Julia Maria Ressler, MSc, PhD

MedUni Wien RESEARCHER OF THE MONTH October 2026

This Investigator-Initiated Study (IIS) represents the first neoadjuvant clinical trial to investigate the efficacy of the oncolytic virus talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) in patients with cutaneous basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Cutaneous BCC is the most common malignancy worldwide, and its incidence continues to increase. Surgical resection of locally advanced or otherwise difficult-to-treat BCCs, particularly those involving anatomically complex and functionally critical areas of the face, may result in substantial functional impairment. Neoadjuvant treatment with T-VEC resulted in significant tumor shrinkage in all study participants, facilitated surgical resection, and even achieved complete tumor regression in a subset of patients. At the immunological level, T-VEC induced a reprogramming of the tumor microenvironment, characterized by an increased infiltration of cytotoxic T cells, B cells, and macrophages, together with a reduction in regulatory T cells. These findings highlight the potential of T-VEC as a neoadjvuant therapeutic option for for patients with cutaneous BCC.

Selected Literature

1. Ressler JM, Plaschka M, Silmbrod R, Bachmayr V, Shaw LE, Silly T, Zila N, Stepan A, Kusienicka A, Tschandl P, Tittes J, Roka F, Haslik W, Petzelbauer P, Koenig F, Kunstfeld R, Farlik M, Halbritter F, Weninger W, Hoeller C. Efficacy and tolerability of neoadjuvant therapy with Talimogene laherparepvec in cutaneous basal cell carcinoma: a phase II trial (NeoBCC trial). Nature Cancer, 2025 Jan;6(1):51-66. doi: 10.1038/s43018-024-00879-x.
2. Ressler JM, Tomasich E, Hatziioannou T, Ringl H, Heller G, Silmbrod R, Gottmann L, Starzer AM, Zila N, Tschandl P, Hoeller C, Preusser M, Berghoff AS. DNA Methylation Signatures Correlate with Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Metastatic Melanoma. Target Oncol. 2024 Mar;19(2):263-275. doi: 10.1007/s11523-024-01041-4. Epub 2024 Feb 24. PMID: 38401029; PMCID: PMC10963567.
3. Ressler JM, Karasek M, Koch L, Silmbrod R, Mangana J, Latifyan S, Aedo-Lopez V, Kehrer H, Weihsengruber F, Koelblinger P, Posch C, Kofler J, Michielin O, Richtig E, Hafner C, Hoeller C. Real-life use of talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) in melanoma patients in centers in Austria, Switzerland and Germany. J Immunother Cancer. 2021 Feb;9(2):e001701. doi: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001701. Erratum in: J Immunother Cancer. 2021 Oct;9(10):e001701corr1. doi: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001701corr1. PMID: 33608376; PMCID: PMC7898852.
4. Ressler JM, Zila N, Korosec A, Yu J, Silmbrod R, Bachmayr V, Tittes J, Strobl J, Lichtenberger BM, Hoeller C, Petzelbauer P. Myofibroblast stroma differentiation in infiltrative basal cell carcinoma is accompanied by regulatory T-cells. J Cutan Pathol. 2023 Jun;50(6):544-551. doi: 10.1111/cup.14381. Epub 2023 Jan 16. PMID: 36562598.