Bourquin Carole
Biography
I am Institute Director and Full Professor at the Institute of Pharmacology, University of Bern, and Senior Consultant in Clinical Pharmacology at Inselspital in Bern. I studied medicine in Geneva before earning my doctorate in Immunology at the Max Planck Institute in Munich. I later established her own research group at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, focusing on cancer immunotherapy. In 2011, I returned to Switzerland as a Full Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Fribourg. From 2016 to 2025, I held a professorship at the University of Geneva while also practicing as a clinical pharmacologist at the University Hospital of Geneva. During that time, I was vice-coordinator of the translational research center in oncohematology (CRTOH). In 2024, I assumed leadership of the Institute of Pharmacology at the University of Bern.
My research bridges fundamental science and clinical application, with a focus on antitumor immunity and pharmacological strategies to enhance immunotherapy. My expertise in immunopharmacology and drug development has contributed significantly to advancements in the field, particularly in leveraging the immune system to fight cancer—an innovative and rapidly evolving field.
Research
Our team specializes in immunopharmacology in inflammation and cancer. A key objective is to identify novel targets to enhance anticancer immunity and validate pharmacological interventions through translational approaches that integrate preclinical models with clinical data.
A major focus is the role of lipid metabolism in the anti-tumor immune response, particularly its influence on immune cell migration and function. The team investigates the paradoxical impact of obesity on immunotherapy, examining its differential effects in men and women. Understanding how lipid metabolism shapes immune cell trafficking could provide new therapeutic strategies to optimize treatment outcomes.
Additionally, the group explores nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems to improve the efficacy and precision of immune-modulating therapies while minimizing side effects. I have also been recognized for contributions to alternative methods in biomedical research.
Selected publications
Poinot H, Dupuychaffray E, Arnoux G, Alvarez M, Tachet J, Ezzar O, Moore J, Bejuy O, Olesti E, Visconti G, Gonzalez-Ruiz V, Rudaz S, Tille J.-C, Voegel C, Nowak-Sliwinska P, Bourquin C, Pommier A
Activation of endogenous glucocorticoids by HSD11B1 inhibits the antitumor immune response in renal cancer
OncoImmunology 2023, doi.org/10.1080/2162402X.2023.2286820 (JIF 7.7)
Hočevar S, Puddinu V, Haeni L, Petri-Fink A, Wagner J, Alvarez M, Clift M, Bourquin C.
PEGylated Gold Nanoparticles Target Age-Associated B Cells In Vivo.
ACS Nano. 2022;16:18119-18132. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.2c04871. (JIF 18.0)
Boersma B, Möller K, Wehl L, Puddinu V, Huard A, Fauteux-Daniel S, Bourquin C*, Palmer G*, Bein T* (*shared senior authorship)
J Control Release. 2022;351:989-1002. doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.09.063. (JIF 11.5)
Wagner J, Gößl D, Ustyanovska N, Xiong M, Hauser D, Zhuzhgova O, Hocevar S, Taskoparan B, Poller L, Datz S, Engelke H, Daali Y, Bein T, Bourquin C.
Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as pH-Responsive Carrier for the Immune-Activating Drug Resiquimod Enhance the Local Immune Response in Mice.
ACS Nano, 2021, 15:4450–4466. (JIF 18.0)