Collaboration in person

One of the goals of Oncode Institute is to enable interdisciplinary research collaborations. To this end, Oncode launched a new initiative called ‘Oncode Accelerator Projects’ (OAPs) in 2021. The goal of OAPs is to form a multidisciplinary team that can uniquely address an unmet medical need or scientific challenge through innovative high risk-high reward approaches. The OAP initiated by Oncode Investigator Bas van Steensel of the Netherlands Cancer Institute is an inspiring example of the fruitful interdisciplinary collaboration that this may yield.

Collaboration in person

To address the big challenges in cancer research, Oncode Institute took the initiative to organize a series of dynamic brainstorm sessions. The aim was to foster a vibrant exchange of ideas and ignite cross-disciplinary collaborations among Oncode researchers. A group of Oncode Investigators from diverse institutes¹ embarked on an exciting Collaboration Project to tackle one of the most cutting edge challenges in Immuno Oncology – mobilizing innate leukocytes to attack tumours. In this interview, Oncode Investigator Sjoerd van der Burg, Project Lead at Leiden University Medical Center, describes the results the team has achieved so far and explains what they want to focus on next.

Sjoerd van der Burg

Senior Oncode Investigator – Head of the research laboratories of Medical Oncology and Group leader Experimental Cancer Immunology and Therapy at Leiden University Medical Center

Cross-disciplinary Collaborations to Tackle Complex Challenges in Cancer Research

Cancer immunotherapy is a ground-breaking treatment that stimulates the body’s immune system T-cells to eliminate cancer cells. However, the resistance of tumours to T-cell mediated therapy presents a significant challenge. In this Collaboration Project, a group of Oncode Investigators aims to tackle the problem by enlisting the help of other immune cells called ‘innate leukocytes’. These cells are abundant in tumours and can be rapidly recruited from the bloodstream to effectively combat cancer independently of T-cells.

The researchers aim to determine which types of innate leukocyte can help to fight tumours and when they can do so most effectively. They also plan to investigate how these different cells communicate with each other and with other cells to discover how they can be manipulated to combat cancer. Ultimately, the team want to predict patient responses to therapies and test them in clinical settings.

“This is the first truly unique approach fully focussed on capitalizing on the tumour-controlling role of innate leukocytes for treating tumours resistant to T-cell therapy. Success would revolutionize current cancer care.”

The team has achieved several essential milestones to date:

Sjoerd van der Burg's lab demonstrated the diverse effects and the role of neutrophils in developing cancer therapies and understanding tumour progression (published in JITC).
Karin de Visser's lab highlighted the critical role of eosinophils in the success of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) treatment for cancer, suggesting that targeting these cells could enhance the treatment's effectiveness (published in Cancer Cell).
Sjoerd van der Burg's lab identified a specific group of macrophages called CD163hi macrophages could help overcome resistance to immunotherapy, providing new opportunities for improving cancer treatment (published in JITC).

The team now seeks to understand the precise workings of these cells, including their regulation and potential manipulation. "We now know what these cells look like, but how do they work exactly? How are these cells regulated, and how can we manipulate them? Could we get the tumours in regression in a T-cell independent way? That’s what we want to discover." says van der Burg.

"This is the first truly unique approach fully focussed on capitalizing on the tumour-controlling role of innate leukocytes for treating tumours resistant to T-cell therapy. Success would revolutionize current cancer care." he says.

With the collaboration of an excellent multidisciplinary team within Oncode Institute, the researchers have access to unique resources, toolboxes, mouse models, patient cohorts, regulatory molecule identification pipelines, facilities, drug repurposing libraries, and an antibody production platform.

According to van der Burg, “Our collaboration with Oncode aims to optimally achieve our goal in the most effective way possible.”

However, to fully realize the project's potential, an additional injection of resources is crucial. Recognizing the immense value of this endeavour, Oncode Institute is actively seeking and inviting visionary industry partners to accelerate translation of this ground-breaking research into true patient impact by becoming a collaborator partner.

(1) The Oncode Investigators working on this project are main applicants Sjoerd van der Burg (Leiden University Medical Center), Karin de Visser, Leila Akkari (Netherlands Cancer Institute) and Linde Meyaard (University Medical Center Utrecht).