Susan Klaeger - Principal Scientist Discovery Proteomics, Proteomic and Genomic Technologies, Joint Appointment with Discovery Oncology, Research Biology

Susan Klaeger

Principal Scientist Discovery Proteomics, Proteomic and Genomic Technologies, Joint Appointment with Discovery Oncology, Research Biology

"Genentech’s research environment empowers experts from diverse fields to collaborate effectively, translating their work into scientific innovations and discoveries that benefit patients."
3
Years at Genentech
5
Awards & Honors

I joined Genentech in early 2022 as a Principal Scientist in the Proteomic and Genomics Technologies department. My group studies proteins and peptides on the surface of cells using innovative proteomics methodologies. We collaborate across departments in research biology, drug discovery and computational sciences.

Prior to joining Genentech, I trained in Molecular Biotechnology and Proteomics. During my PhD at the Technical University of Munich and the German Cancer Consortium, I applied chemoproteomics approaches to study selectivity of clinical kinase inhibitors. Motivated by the possible translational impact of my research, I joined the Proteomics Platform at the Broad Institute, where I used mass spectrometry-based proteomics to understand antigen processing and presentation on MHC molecules in tumor samples. This research contributed to better MHC binding predictors, discovery of novel peptides from non canonical open reading frames and improvement of technology to detect low abundant, clinically relevant peptides presented on MHC.

Featured Publication

diaPASEF Analysis for HLA-I Peptides Enables Quantification of Common Cancer Neoantigens.

Mol Cell Proteomics . 2025

Oliinyk D, Gurung HR, Zhou Z, Leskoske K, Rose CM, Klaeger S.

Unannotated proteins expand the MHC-I-restricted immunopeptidome in cancer .

Nat Biotechnol . 2022

Ouspenskaia T, Law T, Clauser KR, Klaeger S, Sarkizova S, Aguet F, Li B, Christian E, Knisbacher BA, Le PM, Hartigan CR, Keshishian H, Apffel A, Oliveira G, Zhang W, Chen S, Chow YT, Ji Z, Jungreis I, Shukla SA, Justesen S, Bachireddy P, Kellis M, Getz G, Hacohen N, Keskin DB, Carr SA, Wu CJ, Regev A.

Profiling SARS-CoV-2 HLA-I peptidome reveals T cell epitopes from out-of-frame ORFs .

Cell. 2021

Weingarten-Gabbay S, Klaeger S, Sarkizova S, Pearlman LR, Chen DY, Gallagher KME, Bauer MR, Taylor HB, Dunn WA, Tarr C, Sidney J, Rachimi S, Conway HL, Katsis K, Wang Y, Leistritz-Edwards D, Durkin MR, Tomkins-Tinch CH, Finkel Y, Nachshon A, Gentili M, Rivera KD, Carulli IP, Chea VA, Chandrashekar A, Bozkus CC, Carrington M; MGH COVID-19 Collection & Processing Team; Bhardwaj N, Barouch DH, Sette A, Maus MV, Rice CM, Clauser KR, Keskin DB, Pregibon DC, Hacohen N, Carr SA, Abelin JG, Saeed M, Sabeti PC

A large peptidome dataset improves HLA class I epitope prediction across most of the human population .

Nat Biotechnol . 2020

Sarkizova S, Klaeger S, Le PM, Li LW, Oliveira G, Keshishian H, Hartigan CR, Zhang W, Braun DA, Ligon KL, Bachireddy P, Zervantonakis IK, Rosenbluth JM, Ouspenskaia T, Law T, Justesen S, Stevens J, Lane WJ, Eisenhaure T, Lan Zhang G, Clauser KR, Hacohen N, Carr SA, Wu CJ, Keskin DB.

The target landscape of clinical kinase drugs .

Science . 2017

Klaeger S, Heinzlmeir S, Wilhelm M, Polzer H, Vick B, Koenig PA, Reinecke M, Ruprecht B, Petzoldt S, Meng C, Zecha J, Reiter K, Qiao H, Helm D, Koch H, Schoof M, Canevari G, Casale E, Depaolini SR, Feuchtinger A, Wu Z, Schmidt T, Rueckert L, Becker W, Huenges J, Garz AK, Gohlke BO, Zolg DP, Kayser G, Vooder T, Preissner R, Hahne H, Tõnisson N, Kramer K, Götze K, Bassermann F, Schlegl J, Ehrlich HC, Aiche S, Walch A, Greif PA, Schneider S, Felder ER, Ruland J, Médard G, Jeremias I, Spiekermann K, Kuster B.