Building a strong interconnected research community is at the heart of everything Oncode does. Nothing brings people together better than the chance to learn, share knowledge and exchange experiences, and interact face to face. In 2019 we organized a mix of Clinical Workshops and Technical Masterclasses, and we hosted the Oncode - Cancer Genomics Centre (CGC) Annual Conference and the Oncode - CGC Annual Scientific Meeting.

In May 2019, we launched our ongoing series of Clinical Workshops, designed to enhance the link between basic research and unmet needs in the clinic, and stimulate new collaborations. The first workshop, in May, focused on Colorectal Cancer, while the second, in October, focused on Glioblastoma.

Our Masterclasses focused on gene editing and its applications and macromolecular structures in cancer research. In addition, we organized our first Masterclass Day, during which we introduced the Compound Library and the Oncode Drug Repurposing Programme, both of which contribute to our Affordable Healthcare Programme.

United by a desire to bring new cell therapies to patients, Oncode Institute and HollandBIO brought academia, life-science companies, clinicians and other relevant stakeholders together at Biotech Wednesday. This event clearly highlighted the Netherlands’ life-science capabilities and the country’s potential to become a world leader in cancer research.

The two flagship events last year were our 2-day Annual Conference, which took place at the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam, and the Annual Scientific Meeting at the Compagnie Theater, Amsterdam. The Annual Conference, in which the topic was ‘Fundamental Cancer Biology’, brought together world-class speakers from across the globe and featured presentations and new insights in cancer research. At the Annual Scientific Meeting, in addition to the scientific content, we offered the attendees other engaging ways to interact, including a science booth marketplace and parallel sessions on topics such as research funding and personal development. Sharing information about each other’s research and getting to know the community was one of the key objectives of this scientific meeting.

The interest and participation in these events, and the positive feedback we received after each of them. are both gratifying and motivating. They are clear evidence that Oncode is answering the need for learning and connecting people, and that outsmarting cancer is not only our mission but a shared ambition in the scientific community. 

Facilitating and coordinating collaboration between Oncode Researchers in 12 different institutes is not an easy task, but we have put a great deal of effort into finding ways of doing it. One of those is through the use of digital tools such as the Oncode Community Platform, which we launched in 2019.

This platform allows researchers to easily find each other, search for specific expertise and technology, and connect with a single click. Throughout the year, we continuously expanded the platform with new functionalities and created awareness, resulting in increased usage. For example, we implemented an extension that allows people to register for Oncode events with a single click.

Although the system is functioning well and is used regularly by many users for event registration, overall use of the platform is not yet optimal. It remains a challenge to engage researchers to use the platform effectively and for us to properly assess its impact. These are issues we will address in 2020 in conjunction with our user board and the wider Oncode community.

Outsmarting cancer, impacting lives. Our core mission has an important goal - reducing the impact of cancer for patients. We know that the perspective of patients can enrich and improve Oncode research by identifying challenges, stimulating discussion, and generating novel ideas. In any medical research, patients are the ultimate stakeholders.

In recognition of this, we continuously strive to reduce the distance between the world of the scientist and the world of the patient. We want them to discover, investigate and understand each other's worlds. It is why we include patients in our Clinical Advisory Board and Supervisory Board, and why we have developed our Patient Perspective Programme.

Patient Perspective Programme
In 2019, we kicked-off the Patient Engagement Programme with a plenary session on patient engagement during our Annual Scientific Meeting, creating awareness and enthusiasm within the Oncode community. Via the programme that was subsequently implemented, patients have a chance to see for themselves face-to-face how Oncode researchers are searching for answers. At the same time, our researchers can benefit from a different perspective on their work and find a new source of inspiration.

Two pilot studies were initiated, in which five research groups from two different institutes participated. Our strategy on patient engagement has focused on a small group of highly motivated researchers who value the approach and act as patient engagement ambassadors, creating steppingstones towards the broader Oncode community.

“With help of Oncode, I now have two patients advocates engaged with my lab. They regularly visit my lab for research updates and input, and one of them has participated in our lab retreat. Both the patient advocates and lab members get inspired by these interactions.”

Jacco van Rheenen, NKI

With collaboration being one of the three pillars of Oncode, we constantly look for ways to stimulate collaboration between our research groups. It is to their credit that the members of our community are already open-minded, which means that many forms of collaboration start naturally and organically. Nevertheless, we know that we can take collaboration further, increasing the number of researchers involved and expanding our incentives and mechanisms for collaboration.

For example, our Infrastructure & Technologies Programme supports researchers by offering them access to state-of-the-art facilities, making infrastructures and equipment that could not be funded by any one research group available throughout the Oncode community and beyond. Oncode Investigators were asked to collaboratively submit proposals to purchase technologies, with the requirement that the proposal included at least four Investigators from three different institutes. Funding under our Clinical Proof-of-Concept Programme also has a clear collaboration requirement. Oncode Investigators can only submit a request for funding under this programme for (pre)clinical projects if they work together with a clinician. 

By making collaboration a prerequisite in our tailored funding schemes, we incentivize collaboration at all levels. This approach has been successful and has already led to collaborations that are currently being executed both within the Oncode community and with external partners. 

Oncode drives innovation through collaboration to enhance the potential of its scientific community - collaboration instead of competition. Oncode researchers do not only get access to novel technologies, they also get the opportunity to interact with scientists from different disciplines. The fact that they are all part of the same institute takes away many obstacles to collaboration.

Oncode Investigator Linde Meyaard from UMCU explains how Oncode helped her to develop new collaborations. In this video, Linde discusses her collaboration with Huib Ovaa, who sadly passed away on May 22, 2020. This video was shot during the Oncode Annual Conference in November 2019. We decided to leave this video in the annual report, since Linde explains in a nice way how Huib has helped her progress her research and it shows the value of collaboration between scientists. At Oncode Institute, we cherish Huib’s legacy and will support where we can to continue it.

“Being a molecular pharmacologist, Oncode gives me the opportunity to apply my molecules and molecular concepts into clinically relevant settings. The Oncode community has greatly expanded my network within the Dutch cancer research community, resulting in novel collaborations with, for instance, Karin de Visser (NKI), Huib Ovaa (LUMC) and Madelon Maurice (UMCU).”

Laura Heitman, Leiden University