#Eureka

Collaboration instead of competition, that’s what Oncode is all about. To facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration weorganize various workshops, masterclasses and other events throughout the year. Based on science we stimulate social interaction in for example a 2-day event on Tumour Heterogeneity, a masterclass day and a clinical workshop focused on colorectal cancer.

The Tumour Heterogeneity event brought together researchers from different disciplines and gave them the opportunity to exchange latest insights, approaches and model systems to understand the origins of tumour heterogeneity. A subject with great potential impact for patients since its implications for tumour evolution and therapy resistance.

Our first Oncode Masterclass day was all about sharing insights in science and connecting our diverse research community. The day was filled with sessions about the Oncode Compound Library, our approach to Open science and potential applications of organoid technology.

To enhance the link between fundamental research and unmet needs in the clinic, we kicked off a series of clinical workshops. This first one was focused on colorectal cancer. Both clinicians and fundamental researchers discussed the current clinical practice, unmet medical needs and ongoing research with a varied audience.

Excellent science is what makes our hearts beat faster. Over the past few months our Oncode Researchers have published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, we would like to highlight a few of their accomplishments.

In collaboration with the labs of Ton Schumacher, Lodewyk Wessels and Wilbert Zwart, the groups of Jos Jonkers and Karin de Visser published their research into the role of p53 in systemic imflammation in breast cancer patients. Systemic inflammation is associated with poor overall survival in different cancers. The current work shows that loss of p53 leads to increased secretion of signalling molecules from tumour cells. This induces systemic inflammation which leads to higher rates of metastasis and further paves the way for personalized approaches in treating breast cancer. Read more in Nature.

The power of organoid technology as a platform to study mechanisms behind tumour formation were shown again by the group of Hans Clevers in collaboration with the groups of Ruben van Boxtel, Jacco van Rheenen and Michiel Vermeulen. Using CRISPR/Cas9 they made BAP1 deficient bile duct organoids. BAP1 is a tumour suppressor in bile duct cancer. The current work shows that this suppressor function is mediated through its activity as a chromatin regulator. You can read more in Cell Stem Cell.

In the July edition of Cell the group of Daniel Peeper, in collaboration with the group of Ton Schumacher, publishes their work about augmenting the impact of immunotherapy. To do so, they conducted a genome wide CRISPR/Cas9 screen which revealed that loss of the TRAF2 gene can enhance the therapeutic effect of immunotherapy on tumours.

Organoids. It has to be one of the most used buzzwords in molecular research over the last few years. These miniature versions of an organ are grown in the lab out of small tissue samples of individual patients. The potential of this technology is quite far reaching.

Did you know it helps to reduce the number of laboratory animals needed for biomedical research? To highlight the doors that organoids have opened, the Hubrecht Institute, one of our partner institutes, produced a video in which Oncode Investigator Hans Clevers explains the basics of the use and added value of human organoids in cancer research.

Maarten van der Weijden dominated the Dutch news for days when he swam the Elfstedentocht in June this year. In 75 hours, he covered an impressive 196 km! Maarten is an ex-cancer patient and with this exceptional achievement he raised over 6,1 million euros for cancer research.

We are very proud that one of the selected projects which will receive funding is the research of Oncode Investigator Jarno Drost and his colleague Eelco Hoving of the Princess Máxima Center. Jarno and Eelco are working on better understanding the biology behind rhabdoid tumours. These are rare but very aggressive kinds of tumours that occur primarily in the brain and kidneys of children. The prognosis is usually bad and the need for new treatment options is high.

Jarno and Eelco have set up technology in their labs to grow patient derived tumours in a petri dish. In this way they create mini-rhabdoid tumours allowing them to study the molecular and cellular properties of the tumour in detail and test different drug candidates to find better treatment methods. All what´s left to say is big thank you to the swimming hero who helps to make this all possible.

We are very proud about the fact that many excellent scientists are part of Oncode Institute and we are always pleased to share exciting news about prestigious awards the win, grants they have obtained, or other forms of recognizing their excellence. Recently, Oncode Investigators Hugo Snippert (UMC Utrecht), Monique den Boer (Princess Máxima Center), Leila Akkari (NKI), Sylvie Noordermeer (LUMC) and Jarno Drost (Princess Máxima Center) were in the spotlight.

Monique den Boer received a surprise visit from ZonMw and was awarded with the Open Science Impuls award. She has brought a major contribution to the goals of Open Science: responsive, transparent and responsible science. The final report of her Vici project "Challenging old dogmas: improved diagnostics and tailored therapy by unraveling biology or acute leukemia in children" showed that her research group makes Open Science possible. During her project, she published 33 open access articles, by which the knowledge obtained is accessible for everyone. She was also able to publish negative results of her studies, which is not so common in our scientific field.

Another Oncode Investigator in the spotlight was Hugo Snippert of the UMC Utrecht. Together with industry partner VyCAP, he received one of the Health~Holland Organ-on-chip awards for their project ‘Capture tumour evolution on chip’. To improve the understanding of tumour evolution, a new microfluidic platform will be developed and tested. The goal is to combine live-cell imaging of growing tumour organoids with single-cell genomic analysis of all the individual cells that originate from the imaged tumour.

Leila Akkari (NKI) and Sylvie Noordermeer (LUMC), both Oncode Investigators, received the Vidi grant for their research. Sylvie uses her grant for research into the BRCA1 protein. Errors in this protein cause all kinds of cancers. Leila will use her grant to further research the use of immune cells for the treatment of glioblastoma.

Finally, Oncode Investigator Jarno Drost (Princess Máxima Center) was awarded with the ERC grant of €1.5 million euros. He received this prestigious grant to unravel the aggressive nature of rhabdoid tumors.