#Eureka

For more than half a year now, finding solutions to solve the current COVID-19 crisis is a priority - not only for the Netherlands, but for the entire world. With labs closed and the entire country in lockdown, the urgency and the pressure became almost tangible. In the midst of the chaos, Oncode Investigators Marvin Tanenbaum, Hans Clevers (both Hubrecht Institute) and Lude Franke (UMC Groningen) decided to put their knowledge and skills to good use. For Tanenbaum contributing meant a step out of the box. For Clevers, it was a logical continuation of the work he had been doing for decades. And for Franke, the crisis brought an opportunity. And what all three of them found in these last months was not only new ideas and solutions, but also a sense of community and meaning, and a renewed clarity about the importance of basic science. 

Read the full story on our website.

As the world scrambles to limit the spread of the coronavirus with travel restrictions, we all had to cancel our long awaited carefully planned itineraries, conferences and trainings probably for the good part of 2020. While the idea of “Digital Transformation” has been around for over a decade, the necessity of this transformation was hugely accelerated by the pandemic. For the first time, we faced a forced paradigm shift on how we share research, learn, and engage with our network. Not surprisingly, the initial reaction for most was to postpone or cancel those events, over the concern that working together by phone or video conference wouldn’t be as useful or productive as face-to-face meetings. But innovation has to happen now more than ever, so we need to learn to adapt and adopt fast to this new reality. In this blog Yuva Oz, Business Developer at Oncode Institute, shares her experiences of attending digital scientific events during pandemic restrictions. 

Read the story on our website.

With our valorization strategy being executed at full steam, we have recently expanded our network with external experts in the field of entrepreneurship. Within the Oncode Oncology Bridge Fund we have installed our Investment Advisory Committee and now have a team of three Entrepreneurs in Residence on board.

The Oncode Oncology Bridge Fund provides early stage financing to support the creation and growth of new enterprises based on highly innovative science performed by researchers at Oncode Institute. To review and make recommendations on investment proposals we have installed the Investment Advisory Committee (IAC). The members of the committee have a mixture of technical, scientific, business, and investment experience in building and growing therapeutics, diagnostics and services focussed oncology companies. Currently the IAC consists of Dr. Graeme Smith (CSO Artios Pharma), Dr. Tol Trimborn (COO Gadeta) and Dr. Jan Groen, (CEO Intravacc).

To coach and mentor Oncode Researchers who have the ambition to valorize their research through company creation, we have three entrepreneurs in residence (EIRs) on board. After the initial appointment of Dr. Markwin Velders and Dr. Allard Kaptein in February, we have recently welcomed Dr. Dirk Pollet to our team. Dr. Markwin Velders brings over 25 years of research experience in the field of tumor immunology and over 18 years of management experience in biotechnology companies. Dr. Allard Kaptein is the Managing Director of Genase Therapeutics. Prior to that, he was co-founder of Acerta Pharma, spinning out the covalent BTK inhibitor series from MSD into Acerta Pharma. Dr. Pollet has a PhD degree in Biochemistry and brings over 25 years of experience in the diagnostics and biotechnology industries. The team of EIRs will provide regular coaching sessions and mentoring support to portfolio companies.

Dive into our science! We have collected a few of the publication highlights which came out of our labs in the past few months. Read about the complexity of the tumour micro-environment, a new single cell technology and a new model for lung cancer.

The microenvironment of a tumour is a highly complex multi-cellular structure which is known to hamper immune based therapeutic strategies in for example melanoma. To get more insight into the immunosuppressive effects of the microenvironment, Oncode Investigator Carl Figdor (Radboudumc) and his team set out to develop a new research model. In a 3D model they cocultured different skin cells, immune cells and melanoma cells and developed a skin cancer model which closely resembles tumour growth and other characteristics observed in actual tumours. With this model, a new tool is available to study the effects of the tumour micro-environment on the immune system. Read the full article in Nature Communications.

In a recent edition of Nature Protocols, a new method developed in the lab of Oncode Investigator Jop Kind (Hubrecht Institute) was published. The protocol describes the execution of scDam&T-seq, a clever combination of two existing technologies. By combining DamID technology with mRNA quantification, the relationship between protein-DNA interactions and gene expression regulation can be studied at single cell resolution. This technology can yield new insights in the intricate regulation of gene expression and chromatin organisation. In a follow up in Nature Biotechnology it was already shown that it is sensitive enough to distinguish mouse embryonic stem cells cultured under different conditions.

The groups of Oncode Investigators Daniel Peeper, Maarten van Lohuizen and Anton Berns (NKI) have published a study about the development of a new mouse model for malignant mesothelioma in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. This aggressive form of cancer can occur in the linings of the lung upon asbestos exposure. The current therapeutic strategies to combat this type of cancer are limited and lead to only limited extended survival in patients. To enable the search for targeted therapies based on for example immune strategies, the three research groups generated a new mouse model which recapitulates the hallmarks of the human disease. An important aspect of this new model, compared to existing ones, is that the phenotype has a rapid onset. This makes it very well suited to explore the pathogenesis of malignant mesothelioma and validate new treatment regimens, including immunotherapy.

Drug repurposing is an effective approach to rapidly identify novel indications for known drugs and compounds. In order to support researchers in bringing novel therapeutic applications to the patient at affordable costs, Oncode has obtained the next generation Drug Repurposing library, which contains more than 6.000 drugs in various stages of clinical development (abandoned, off-patent, launched, etc). We now posted a Q&A on our website, to answer all the questions about how to access its more than 6000 drugs and about the technical infrastructure and expertise Oncode provides. And the good news is that the library is up and running even in these challenging times.

‘One of the reasons why I thought this library is of immense added value for Oncode, is that it could support our goal of making healthcare and drug development more affordable says Oncode Investigator Rene Bernards (NKI) - who initially came up with the idea of acquiring the compound library for Oncode – in a recent interview. ‘For instance, if researchers find a new application for a drug that is already licenced for patient use, it would mean that we could clinically develop it further at a much faster pace and with less costs involved’ he adds.

The drugs come with a wealth of information on previously identified targets, structure and purity, clinical phase data and known indications. They are all in various stages of clinical development and most of them were only tested in a limited setting. That means not all possible applications were investigated, and it is very likely that researchers can pick up on active compounds which were initially missed, and then find novel targets that were not previously identified.

To add to this, researchers can have access to the technical infrastructure and expertise provided by our two Centres of Expertise. ‘Oncode, as a scientific organisation has broader research questions and hypotheses and has the knowhow and technology to screen for compounds in this library that act on a different range of phenotypes’ says Bernards. ‘This library provides an opportunity for researchers to really gain new insights for their research’ he adds.

You can read more about our Drug Repurposing Programme here.

Although science is not about winning, receiving a prestigious nomination or grant comes as recognition of excellent science. The current situation might challenge and slow us down, temporarily. But it certainly shouldn’t stop us from celebrating such achievements. Looking back at these last months, we want to highlight and congratulate Oncode Investigators Rene Bernards, Sarah Derks, Ton Schumacher and Sjaak Neefjes, and Oncode’s Scientific Director Geert Kops.

• Two Oncode Investigators will receive the highest awards in science! Professor Sjaak Neefjes (LUMC) will be awarded the Spinoza Prize and professor Ton Schumacher (NKI) will receive the Stevin Prize. Each laureate will receive 2.5 million euros, which they can spend on scientific research and activities related to knowledge utilisation. Read more about the prize and their response.
  
  
• Oncode Investigator Rene Bernards (NKI) has been elected as a member of the prestigious National Academy of Science (NAS) in the United States. He was elected along 25 other international new members, in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the study of cancer genetics.
  
  
• Geert Kops, Oncode’s Scientific Director and group leader at the Hubrecht Institute received the NOW Open Competition ENW-KLEIN grant. These grants stimulate innovative fundamental research with scientific urgency. By studying a rare hereditary syndrome associated with severe developmental disorders and cancer, researchers recently discovered a new gene that causes chromosomal abnormalities. This proposal will investigate how this gene normally protects against chromosomal abnormalities and how mutations in the gene in patients lead to the hereditary syndrome. The insights that will be gained during this study may provide broader insights into the causes of chromosomal abnormalities in germ cells, embryos, and non-hereditary cancers.
  
  
• Together with Oncode Investigator Sarah Derks, Tesfay Godefa received a grant from the Hestia-impuls: an NWO-wide pilot to make Dutch science and the academic labour market accessible to refugee academics. The grant gives the opportunity to help academics that had to flee their home country continue their career in the Netherlands.