Anne Rios and her lab work together on advancing innovation in the field of cancer immunotherapy, a treatment that empowers the immune system, such as the T cells, to recognize and destroy cancer cells. Particularly they develop human organoid models and tailored microscopy technologies to deeply scrutinize the mode-of-action of immunotherapies directly under the microscope and design novel therapeutic products based on what they observe, an approach she refers to as ‘vision-based therapeutics’. A major clinical focus of their work is pediatric brain tumors, especially diffuse midline glioma, a terrible disease for which we do not have curative treatment yet. They are dedicated to turning their lab’s discoveries into real treatments for children, including plans to establish Sniper Therapeutics, a spin-off aimed at developing next-generation T cell therapies to more effectively target cancer.

Anne Rios fell in love with microscopy during her master’s degree. This passion for visualizing has guided her over the course of her career, often leading to unexpected discoveries. ‘For me, microscopy was never just a tool, it was a way to express who I am’, she says. ‘I’ve always loved art and visuals. Microscopy lets me turn science into powerful stories. Through the images and movies we create, we aim to inspire curiosity and understanding by showing how cancer immunotherapies truly work’. Together with artists and philosophers, they built a foundation named The Supernatural to unite science, art, and philosophy, bringing the essence of emerging innovations to the public and fostering scientific questions grounded in human values and experience.

Lastly, Anne Rios stands for authenticity — for being yourself, even in science. She hopes that junior scientists can see that it’s possible to thrive in academia while staying true to who you are. Her journey in science is defined by her “dream team,” as she affectionately calls her lab. Together, they strive to create a space where everyone can be real, make mistakes, speak up, and grow as a team. They are not perfect, but they respect and stand by one another in everything they do.

1.       The Dream3Dlab: https://www.dream3dlab.com/

2.       Professor of Microscopy-Driven Human Cancer and Immunotherapy Innovation (2025): anne-rios-appointed-professor-of-microscopy-driven-human-cancer-and-immunotherapy-innovation

3.       Sniper Therapeutics wins Venture Challenge Fall 2024!

4.       L’Oréal-UNESCO For Woman in Science Award (2021): Anne Rios - L'Oréal-Unesco 'For Women in Science'-laureaat 2021