Dagmar Stoiber-Sakaguchi, Microbiologist and Pharmacologist

Professor Dagmar Stoiber-Sakaguchi is the Head of the Division of Pharmacology at the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences. Along with her team, Professor Stoiber-Sakaguchi is currently researching molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis with a special focus on the JAK/STAT signalling pathway. The research group is pursuing a range of personalised approaches to cancer therapy by identifying new immune checkpoints and is making a valuable contribution to the development of new treatment methods. “One of the things we are exploring is the role of the immune system in cancer development and how we can best use it to combat tumours. We are working closely with the Division of Molecular Oncology and Haematology which enables us to incorporate our findings in clinical research”, says Professor Stoiber-Sakaguchi with regard to the highly promising integration of basic research and clinical research and the successful collaboration between the two divisions. 

Today, Dagmar Stoiber-Sakaguchi’s area of expertise is cancer research, but her career path initially took her from microbiology to immunology. As a high-school student, she developed a keen interest in bacteria in the field of environmental protection. “I was fascinated by microorganisms’ ability to break down oil slicks, which is why I decided to study microbiology”, Stoiber-Sakaguchi recalls. At the same time, she was also enrolled in a Japanese Studies degree programme at the University of Vienna. The young student successfully graduated from both programmes and continued her career by joining the research group headed by Professor Thomas Decker at the Institute of Microbiology and Genetics at the University of Vienna. As part of her doctoral programme, she investigated the molecular mechanisms of macrophage activation in infections and graduated on her topic.

 “After completing my thesis, I received a research fellowship that allowed me to combine my two fields of study, microbiology and Japanese studies. I joined the research group of Professor Tadatsugu Taniguchi in the Department of Immunology at the University of Tokyo.”, says Stoiber-Sakaguchi, now a highly acclaimed researcher in the field, about how she entered cancer research. “After working exclusively on signal transduction in relation to host-pathogen interaction in Thomas Decker’s laboratory, I chose tumour immunology as my research focus in Japan”. Upon returning to Austria, Stoiber-Sakaguchi worked as a university assistant at the Institute of Pharmacology of the Medical University of Vienna (MUW). She was initially part of the research group of Professor Veronika Sexl before co-founding the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute (LBI) for Cancer Research, where she successfully headed her first own research group. She also secured her first third-party funded projects during this period. At the LBI, she was involved in the development of new In vivo test models that enhance our understanding of the mechanisms of tumour growth. In 2015, Dagmar Stoiber-Sakaguchi was habilitated in pharmacology at the Medical University of Vienna. She remained at the LBI until 2018 before being appointed Head of the Division of Pharmacology at the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences in January 2019.

“When my group moved into the laboratory of the Divsion of Water Quality and Health there was no mammalian cell culture established yet. We set up a cell culture lab by ourselves and also implemented some molecular biology methods in the laboratory, which we achieved together with Professor Gerald Obermair from the Division of Physiology.”, says Professor Dagmar Stoiber-Sakaguchi when describing the challenges she faced at the still young Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences. In addition to research, teaching makes up a large part of the division’s work. “Working in small groups is time consuming but it facilitates close contact with the students. We are able to channel our current research findings in the field of tumour therapeutics into the curriculum and offer students the opportunity to gain experience in experimental research and laboratory work. These laboratory placements are in high demand”, says Professor Stoiber-Sakaguchi when asked to describe how teaching and research are integrated at KL. Academic exchange and networking with other research groups are a top priority for Professor Stoiber-Sakaguchi, her team and the Division of Physiology. “Our two divisions are jointly responsible for the KL Lunchtime Seminar Series. In October 2021, we began regularly inviting both emerging and well-established scholars from the fields of cancer research and neurophysiology to speak at KL. In 2023, we launched the first NK Cell Symposium”, says pharmacologist and microbiologist Stoiber-Sakaguchi, who is delighted with how successfully the various formats have become established at KL. 

The next challenge for Stoiber-Sakaguchi and her team was the establishment of a new laboratory at the recently opened part of Campus Krems: “The new laboratory spaces offer highly promising possibilities and are tailored to our requirements. At the same time, however, the planning and relocation activities have temporarily tied up resources. At present, we are focusing on the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics for acute myeloid leukaemia and multiple myeloma in a joint project with the University Hospital Krems, MedAustron and the Division of Translational Oncology and Haematology”, says Professor Stoiber-Sakaguchi. She and her team are currently exploring several hypotheses and ideas: “Studies of the isoforms of the STAT3 signalling molecule, STAT3α and STAT3ß, in the mouse model have delivered new insights into the role it plays in acute myeloid leukaemia. We are confident that our findings will lead to improvements for patients, as they will facilitate targeted therapy selection based on the prevailing genetic profile. In another project, we are testing JAK2 inhibitors – substances that inhibit the JAK/STAT signalling pathway – on certain immune cells, the natural killer cells. The results of these tests will be able to help us to improve cancer drugs in the future – or to find alternatives with fewer side effects.”

Link to the KL research information system KRIS