Faculty of Medicine
Faculty of Medicine
UNIverse - Public Research Portal
Research Group Nina Khanna

Research Focus

Immunology & Infectious Diseases


Area of Research

Viral and fungal infections, especially in immunocompromised patients. Evaluation of new immune biomarkers and new immunotherapeutic strategies


Approved Research Projects

  • 08/2023 – 07/2026 Retrospective Cohort Study of IFI and bacterial infections in AML and MDS patients.
  • 08/2023 – 12/2024 "Incidence of fungal, bacterial and viral infections in patients with acute myeloid leukemia or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome receiving venetoclax and hypomethylating agents: a multi-center retrospective cohort study". Fungal Infection Network of Switzerland (FUNGINOS)
  • 11/2022 – 10/2024 Optimizing COVID-19 Antiviral Therapy (OPTICOV).
  • 05/2022 – 04/2024 «Third-Party Donor Registry for Personalized antiviral T-cell Immunotherapeutics.
  • 10/2021 – 09/2026 «Innovation Focus Cell Therapies». Establishment of a national and international competence centre for cell therapy (Cell Therapy Cluster) to attract and treat patients with therapy-refractory tumours, transplant complications, difficult-to-treat infections and to work towards establishing kidney transplant tolerance.
  • 10/2021 – 09/2025 Epstein-Barr Virus-specific T Memory Stem Cell Therapy to Treat EBV-driven Lymphomas/Diseases» First trial using adoptive transfer of antigen-specific T memory stem cells for EBV-specific T-cell therapy; providing insights into fate of these cells after infusion into patients.
  • 08/2020 – 07/2024 NCCR AntiResist: New Approaches to Combat Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria». To find new antibiotics and develop alternative strategies to combat bacteria by linking basic research directly with clinical research.
  • 06/2019 – 05/2023 Epidemiology and outcome of fungemia in Switzerland.
  • 05/2019 – 11/2021 PK evaluation of Debio 1450 against 24-h biofilm in mouse tissue cage model (combination with: nafcillin, cefazolin, clindamycin, linezolid).
  • 06/2018 – 11/2022 Using Genetic Risk Factors to Stratify Antifungal Prophylaxis in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
  • 2018 Immunological and genetic risk factors for invasive fungal infections in allogeneic HSCT patients from the STCS.
  • 05/2018 – 03/2022 Candidemia 2004 – 2018: Candida epidemiology over 15 years.
  • 03/2018 – 12/2021 Surveillance of azole-resistant Aspergillus in Switzerland.
  • 06/2018 – 05/2021 A Phase I/II single-center study to assess safety and feasibility of virus-specific T cells of 3rd party donors in patients with treatment-refractory viral infections.
  • 02/2017 – 01/2018 Immune-metabolic changes in neutrophils, monocytes and lymphocytes in patients suffering from gram-negative sepsis.
  • 02/2016 – 12/2021 Changes of mold-specific T cells and NK cells and impact of polymorphisms in T-helper 1 Cytokines and Natural Killer (NK) genes on the Development and Outcome of Invasive Mold Infections in Patients after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.
  • 03/2014 – 07/2014 Resistance Development to Silver in Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis.
  • 08/2013 – 07/2015 HIT to LEAD to preclinical candidate development of a transcription repressor inhibitory compound (TRIC) that increase antibiotic susceptibility of multidrug resistant staphylococci.
  • 01/2013 – 12/2016 Relevance of different CD4+ T cell subsets for antifungal defense. What is aberrant in immunocompromised patients?
  • 09/2012 – 08/2013 Determination of Antigens for Adoptive T-cell Therapy for Epstein Barr Virus Infections after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.
  • 04/2012 – 03/2012 Interplay of different Candida-specific T helper subsets in HIV-infected Patients.
  • 04/2010 – 10/2010 Immunity to Aspergillus fumigatus in Healthy Donors.
  • 11/2010 – 10/2011 Adaptive Immunity to Aspergillus fumigatus in Healthy Donors and in Patients after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.
  • 04/2008 – 03/2009 Immunity to Aspergillus fumigatus and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) in patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and generation of a combined Aspergillus- and CMV-specific dendritic cell vaccination.
  • 2007 Swiss HIV Cohort Study: JC and BK specific T-cells in HIV-infected Individuals with Progressive Multifocal Leucencephalopathy.
  • 04/2006 – 03/2007 Defining Polyomavirus JC and BK infection and disease in HIV-infected individuals.
  • 2006 Swiss HIV Cohort Study: JC virus viremia in SHCS: subsequent development of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.
  • 2003 Swiss HIV Cohort Study: Effect of antiretroviral treatment changes on long-term CD4 T-cell response in HIV-1 infected patients.
  • 2002 Neuartige Aspekte hinsichtlich der Auswirkung von Therapiewechseln bei virologisch supprimierten HIV-infizierten Patienten.


Collaborations

National Collaborations

  • 2020 – present: Scientific Programme Committee Challenge in Infectious Diseases
  • 2019 – present: Scientifc Programme Commitee Swiss Society for Infectious Diseases (SSI) Joint Annual Meeting, SSI Board
  • 2017 – present: Swisstransplant Arbeitsgruppe Infektiologie (STAI), representative from the USB
  • 2016 – present: Member of the Prize Committee of the Swiss Society for Infectious Diseases
  • 2010 – present: Fungal Infection Network of Switzerland (FUNGINOS); President since 2021
  • 2008 – present: Infectious Diseases Working Group, Swiss Transplant cohort Study (STCS)
  • 2008 – present: Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Infektiologie (SGINF)
  • 2001 – present: Schweizerische Medizinische Gesellschaft (FMH)

International Collaborations

  • 2022 – present: ECCMID Programme Committee
  • 2021 – present: EMCTG (European Mycology Clinical trials Group) – Working group for clinical trials in Medical Mycology
  • 2018 – present: Arbeitsgemeinschaft Infektionen in der Hämatologie und Onkologie (AGIHO) der DGHO
  • 2018 – present: ESCMID Study Group for Immunocompromised Hosts
  • 2018 – present: ESCMID Fungal Infection Study Group
  • 2013 – present: European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID)


Ongoing Research Projects

  • 08/2023 – 07/2026 Retrospective Cohort Study of IFI and bacterial infections in AML and MDS patients.
  • 08/2023 – 12/2024 "Incidence of fungal, bacterial and viral infections in patients with acute myeloid leukemia or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome receiving venetoclax and hypomethylating agents: a multi-center retrospective cohort study". Fungal Infection Network of Switzerland (FUNGINOS)
  • 11/2022 – 10/2024 Optimizing COVID-19 Antiviral Therapy (OPTICOV).
  • 05/2022 – 04/2024 «Third-Party Donor Registry for Personalized antiviral T-cell Immunotherapeutics.
  • 10/2021 – 09/2026 «Innovation Focus Cell Therapies». Establishment of a national and international competence centre for cell therapy (Cell Therapy Cluster) to attract and treat patients with therapy-refractory tumours, transplant complications, difficult-to-treat infections and to work towards establishing kidney transplant tolerance.
  • 10/2021 – 09/2025 Epstein-Barr Virus-specific T Memory Stem Cell Therapy to Treat EBV-driven Lymphomas/Diseases» First trial using adoptive transfer of antigen-specific T memory stem cells for EBV-specific T-cell therapy; providing insights into fate of these cells after infusion into patients.
  • 08/2020 – 07/2024 NCCR AntiResist: New Approaches to Combat Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria». To find new antibiotics and develop alternative strategies to combat bacteria by linking basic research directly with clinical research.