Katrin´s research focuses on the development of immunocompetent patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of ovarian carcinomas to improve therapeutic interventions through novel immune therapies and targeted fluorescence image-guided surgery. These advanced mouse models are additionally reconstituted with a functional human immune system, which replicate the heterogeneities observed in patient tumours whilst also reproducing key features of the human immune system. Immunotherapies, neither immune-checkpoint inhibitor nor chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, have been shown successful in ovarian carcinomas, yet. Key drivers for her project are the genomic and phenotypic characterization of her established PDX models including the verification of the genomic fidelity to the paired primary tumors as well as the phenotypic deciphering of the complex tumor microenvironment (TME). The aim of Katrin´s project is to provide a good and reliable preclinical animal model that combines the interactions of the TME, including human immune system and genomic evolution of tumor cells.

2017

• Katrin Kleinmanns; Shamundeeswari Anandan; Ida Tveit Karlsen et al. (2017). Engraftement optimization, charaterization and tumor spread tracking by preclinical imaging in ovarian cancer patiant. (external link)

2022

• Christiane Helgestad Gjerde; Anika Langer; Gorka Ruiz de Garibay et al. (2022). Establishment of peritoneal dECM scaffolds for 3D culture of ovarian cancer organoids. (external link)
• Katrin Kleinmanns; Stein-Erik Gullaksen; Geir Bredholt et al. (2022). Humanized Ovarian Cancer Patient-Derived Xenografts for Improved Preclinical Evaluation of Immunotherapies. (external link)
• Christiane Helgestad Gjerde; Anika Langer; Gorka Ruiz de Garibay et al. (2022). Establishment of peritoneal dECM scaffolds for culture of ovarian cancer organoids. (external link)
• Maria Grazia Perrone; Paola Vitale; Morena Miciaccia et al. (2022). Fluorochrome Selection for Imaging Intraoperative Ovarian Cancer Probes. (external link)
• Katrin Kleinmanns; Christiane Helgestad Gjerde; Anika Langer et al. (2022). Modeling the Tumor Microenvironment in Patient-Derived Xenografts: Challenges and Opportunities. (external link)
• Christiane Helgestad Gjerde; Anika Langer; Gorka Ruiz de Garibay et al. (2022). Establishment of ovarian cancer organoids on peritoneal dECM scaffolds. (external link)

2025

• Luka Tandaric; Annika Auranen; Katrin Kleinmanns et al. (2025). Peripheral blood leukocyte signatures as biomarkers in relapsed ovarian cancer patients receiving combined anti-CD73/anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy in arm A of the NSGO-OV-UMB1/ENGOT-OV30 trial. (external link)

2021

• Mihaela-Lucia Popa; Vibeke Samuelsen Fosse; Katrin Kleinmanns et al. (2021). Xenograft Models of Ovarian Cancer for Therapy Evaluation. (external link)
• Elvira García de Jalón; Katrin Kleinmanns; Vibeke Samuelsen Fosse et al. (2021). Comparison of Five Near-Infrared Fluorescent Folate Conjugates in an Ovarian Cancer Model. (external link)
• Christiane Helgestad Gjerde; Anika Langer; Gorka Ruiz de Garibay et al. (2021). Establishment of ovarian cancer organoids on peritoneal dECM scaffolds. (external link)
• Shamundeeswari Anandan; Liv Cecilie Vestrheim Thomsen; Stein-Erik Gullaksen et al. (2021). Phenotypic Characterization by Mass Cytometry of the Microenvironment in Ovarian Cancer and Impact of Tumor Dissociation Methods. (external link)

2019

• Katrin Kleinmanns (2019). rethinking high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma: development of new preclinical animal models for evaluation of image-guided surgery and immunotherapy. (external link)
• Katrin Kleinmanns; Vibeke Samuelsen Fosse; Ben Davidson et al. (2019). EP889 improved cytoreduction of ovarian cancer using CD24 targeted fluorescence image guided surgery in a preclinical murine model. (external link)

2023

• Liv Cecilie Vestrheim Thomsen; Katrin Kleinmanns; Shamundeeswari Anandan et al. (2023). Combining Mass Cytometry Data by CyTOFmerge Reveals Additional Cell Phenotypes in the Heterogeneous Ovarian Cancer Tumor Microenvironment: A Pilot Study. (external link)

2020

• Katrin Kleinmanns; Katharina Bischof; Shamundeeswari Anandan et al. (2020). CD24-targeted fluorescence imaging in patient-derived xenograft models of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma. (external link)
• Katrin Kleinmanns; Vibeke Samuelsen Fosse; Line Bjørge et al. (2020). The emerging role of cd24 in cancer theranostics—a novel target for fluorescence image-guided surgery in ovarian cancer and beyond. (external link)
• Katrin Kleinmanns; Vibeke Samuelsen Fosse; Ben Davidson et al. (2020). CD24-targeted intraoperative fluorescence image-guided surgery leads to improved cytoreduction of ovarian cancer in a preclinical orthotopic surgical model. (external link)

2024

• Cecilie Fredvik Torkildsen; Marie Austdal; Anders Hagen Jarmund et al. (2024). New immune phenotypes for treatment response in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma patients. (external link)
• Katrin Kleinmanns; Line Bjørge (2024). Prospects for precision medicine in ovarian cancer.. (external link)
• Nicholas Paul Casey; Katrin Kleinmanns; Christopher Forcados et al. (2024). Efficient CAR T cell targeting of the CA125 extracellular repeat domain of MUC16. (external link)

See a complete overview of publications in Cristin.

Kleinmanns, K. et al. (2022). Modeling the Tumor Microenvironment in Patient-Derived Xenografts: Challenges and Opportunities. In: Akslen, L.A., Watnick, R.S. (eds) Biomarkers of the Tumor Microenvironment. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98950-7_19

Perrone, M.G.; Vitale, P.; Miciaccia, M.; Ferorelli, S.; Centonze, A.; Solidoro, R.; Munzone, C.; Bonaccorso, C.; Fortuna, C.G.; Kleinmanns, K.; Bjørge, L.; Scilimati, A. Fluorochrome Selection for Imaging Intraoperative Ovarian Cancer Probes. Pharmaceuticals 2022, 15, 668. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph15060668

Kleinmanns, K.; Gullaksen, S.-E.; Bredholt, G.; Davidson, B.; Torkildsen, C.F.; Grindheim, S.; Bjørge, L.; McCormack, E. Humanized Ovarian Cancer Patient-Derived Xenografts for Improved Preclinical Evaluation of Immunotherapies. Cancers 2022, 14, 3092. doi.org/10.3390/cancers14133092

García de Jalón, E., Kleinmanns, K., Fosse, V. et al. Comparison of Five Near-Infrared Fluorescent Folate Conjugates in an Ovarian Cancer Model. Mol Imaging Biol 25, 144–155 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11307-021-01685-y

Popa, M., Fosse, V., Kleinmanns, K., Bjørge, L., McCormack, E. (2021). Xenograft Models of Ovarian Cancer for Therapy Evaluation. In: Kreeger, P.K. (eds) Ovarian Cancer. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2424. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1956-8_18

Anandan, S.; Thomsen, L.C.V.; Gullaksen, S.-E.; Abdelaal, T.; Kleinmanns, K.; Skavland, J.; Bredholt, G.; Gjertsen, B.T.; McCormack, E.; Bjørge, L. Phenotypic characterization by mass cytometry of the microenvironment in ovarian cancer and impact of tumor dissociation methods. Cancers 2021, 13, 755.

Kleinmanns, K., et al., The Emerging Role of CD24 in Cancer Theranostics—A Novel Target for Fluorescence Image-Guided Surgery in Ovarian Cancer and Beyond. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 2020. 10(4): p. 255.

Kleinmanns, K., et al., CD24-targeted intraoperative fluorescence image-guided surgery leads to improved cytoreduction of ovarian cancer in a preclinical orthotopic surgical model. EBioMedicine, 2020. 56: p. 102783.

Kleinmanns, K., et al., CD24-targeted fluorescence imaging in patient-derived xenograft models of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma. EBioMedicine, 2020. 56: p. 102782.