Dr Karin Hellner
Contact information
Clinical Referrals
For NHS and clinical queries please contact my secretary Charlotte Whipp on 01865 234453 or email charlotte.whipp@ouh.nhs.uk. For colposcopy related enquiries please contact the Colposcopy Department on 01865 572110 or email orh-tr.colposcopyoxford@nhs.net.
For private patient appointments please contact my secretary Janet White via oxfordcolposcopy@gmail.com.
Clinical Trials
We are carrying out a number of research studies to help us design and test new treatments for cervical abnormalities caused by infection with oncogenic HPV.
Therapeutic HPV Vaccine
HPV001 is investigating the broadest therapeutic vaccine to show efficacy against cervical abnormalities associated with 5 high-risk HPV types and is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 15 trial sites across the UK and Europe. Oxford is the lead trial site and we anticipate to open for recruitment in late Spring 2020. The study was recently featured in The Guardian. If you are interested, please contact the research team on hpv-study@wrh.ox.ac.uk.
HPV Immunity study
This trial aims to find out how the immune system clears high-risk HPV, the viruses that cause cervical cancer (http://www.jenner.ac.uk/hpvhttp://www.jenner.ac.uk/hpv). We are looking for women aged 16-24 years who are in good health. If you are interested, please contact the research team on hpv-study@ndm.ox.ac.uk.
Karin Hellner
MD PhD
Senior Fellow in Women's Health
- Consultant Gynaecologist and Colposcopist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Clinical Lead for Colposcopy
- Chief-Investigator for HPV001 (Therapeutic HPV Vaccine)
- Principal Investigator
- BSCCP Representative for South-East England
- Lead for OUH Cervical Sample Taker Register
Biography & Research
I received my medical degree from the Humboldt-University of Berlin in 2003 and split my specialist training in Obstetrics & Gynaecology between the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, in Germany, and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, in Oxford, UK.
I spent 4 years as a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School / Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, USA, where I have been working on the molecular mechanisms of human papillomavirus (HPV) associated carcinogenesis and drug discovery strategies for cervical cancer.
I joined the University of Oxford in 2011 as a Clinical Lecturer and was appointed as Senior Fellow in Women's Health in 2017.
I have a strong clinical interest in HPV associated cervical disease and am leading a research program in the field of the molecular basis and clinical management of cervical dysplasia. I am the lead consultant for Oxford's colposcopy service and Principal Investigator of multiple national and international clinical trials.
In addition, I am a board member of the British Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (BSCCP) representing the South-East of England, a BSCCP accredited colposcopy trainer and elected member of the Society for Reproductive Investigation (SRI). In my spare time I volunteer as expert reviewer for Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust Charity.
Fellowships & Awards
- 2000 - 2001: PhD student fellowship by the Charite - Medical Faculty, Humboldt-University of Berlin
- 2007 - 2008: Postdoctoral Research Fellowship by the German Research Foundation (DFG) for basic research at Harvard Medical School Boston, USA
- 2010: DNA Tumor Virus Conference Grant
- 2010: Brigham & Women's Hospital Peer Mentor Award
- 2015: Oxford University Clinical Academic Graduate School (OUCAGS) Career Development Grant
- 2015: OUCAGS Travel Grant for Clinical Lecturers
- 2017: Bayer Grants4Targets Award
Key publications
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Therapeutic HPV vaccines
Journal article
Hancock G. et al, (2018), Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 47, 59 - 72
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Recent advances in understanding and preventing human papillomavirus-related disease
Journal article
Hellner K. and Dorrell L., (2017), F1000Research, 6, 269 - 269
-
Variability of genome-wide DNA methylation and mRNA expression profiles in reproductive and endocrine disease related tissues
Journal article
Rahmioglu N. et al, (2017), Epigenetics, 12, 897 - 908
-
Human Papillomaviruses As Therapeutic Targets in Human Cancer
Journal article
Hellner K. and Münger K., (2011), Journal of Clinical Oncology, 29, 1785 - 1794
Recent publications
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Tuning microtubule dynamics to enhance cancer therapy by modulating FER-mediated CRMP2 phosphorylation
Journal article
Zheng Y. et al, (2018), Nature Communications, 9
-
Peripheral Basophil Count is Increased in Patients with Endometriosis.
Conference paper
Feng Q. et al, (2018), REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES, 25, 218A - 218A
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Therapeutic HPV vaccines
Journal article
Hancock G. et al, (2018), Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 47, 59 - 72
-
Variability of genome-wide DNA methylation and mRNA expression profiles in reproductive and endocrine disease related tissues
Journal article
Rahmioglu N. et al, (2017), Epigenetics, 12, 897 - 908
-
Loss of PFKFB4 induces cell death in mitotically arrested ovarian cancer cells
Journal article
Taylor C. et al, (2017), Oncotarget, 8
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Recent advances in understanding and preventing human papillomavirus-related disease
Journal article
Hellner K. and Dorrell L., (2017), F1000Research, 6, 269 - 269
-
The Predictive Potential of Peripheral Blood Basophils in Endometriosis.
Conference paper
Guan J. et al, (2017), REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES, 24, 207A - 207A
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Premalignant SOX2 overexpression in the fallopian tubes of ovarian cancer patients: Discovery and validation studies
Journal article
Hellner K. et al, (2016), EBioMedicine, 10, 137 - 149
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Evaluation Of the Monocyte To Lymphocyte Ratio As a Predictive Marker in Endometriosis Patients.
Conference paper
Hellner K. et al, (2016), REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES, 23, 327A - 327A
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Viral Perturbations of Host Networks Reflect Disease Etiology
Journal article
Gulbahce N. et al, (2012), PLoS Computational Biology, 8, e1002531 - e1002531
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Human Papillomaviruses As Therapeutic Targets in Human Cancer
Journal article
Hellner K. and Münger K., (2011), Journal of Clinical Oncology, 29, 1785 - 1794
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Kinase requirements in human cells: V. Synthetic lethal interactions between p53 and the protein kinases SGK2 and PAK3
Journal article
Baldwin A. et al, (2010), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107, 12463 - 12468
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HPV16 E7 oncogene expression in normal human epithelial cells causes molecular changes indicative of an epithelial to mesenchymal transition
Journal article
Hellner K. et al, (2009), Virology, 391, 57 - 63
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Baseline characteristics and prevalence of HPV 6, 11, 16, 18 in young German women participating in phase III clinical trials of a quadrivalent HPV (6/11/16/18) vaccine
Journal article
Barthell E. et al, (2009), Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 279, 803 - 807
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Angiotensin II and the Amygdala
Journal article
ALBRECHT D. et al, (2006), Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 985, 498 - 500