Valorization

A dedicated team of experts at Oncode Institute proactively identifies new inventions and facilitates their development into novel therapeutic and diagnostic approaches. With dedicated funding we invest in translational and clinical research, public-private partnerships and establishing new ventures. The examples below highlight how this approach accelerated the translation of breakthrough discoveries into tangible benefits for patients and society at large over the past five years.

16 - 11 - 2021

Translating Oncode’s fundamental research

Oncode created the clinical Proof-of-Concept (CPoC) fund to support the clinical translation of Oncode’s fundamental research. In 2019, a CPoC grant went to Oncode Investigator Sjoerd van der Burg and his clinical collaborator Joachim Aerts to investigate TEIPP therapy. Their work led to the initiation of a clinical trial studying the effect of a vaccine against Non-small cell lung cancer.


08 - 02 - 2022

Start-ups based on new technology platforms

Two brand new companies were founded by Oncode researchers that are based on new technology platforms with the aim to bring novel cancer therapies to the clinic. One of these start-ups is Laigo Bio, which is based around a targeted protein degradation technology. Laigo Bio will develop programs in oncology and neurological disorders and is initiated by Oncode Investigator Madelon Maurice (UMC Utrecht).


04 - 05 - 2022

Start-ups based on new technology platforms

A second is Simmunex Biotherapeutics. Oncode Investigator Carl Figdor developed an innovative approach to create polymers which can act as artificial antigen-presenting cells to stimulate the immune system to obtain a therapeutic response.


08 - 09 - 2022

Oncode expands its collaboration internationally

Oncode is pleased to have a role in the 4.UNCAN.eu initiative initiated in Paris last year. Arising from the EU’s Mission on Cancer and Europe’s Beating Cancer plan, the initiative is focused on generating a research roadmap to better UNderstand poorly understood CANcers (UNCAN). Oncode Investigators Rene Medema, Jos Jonkers, andGeert Kops were involved in this initiative.


Public-private collaborations

Oncode stimulates collaborations between its researchers and private partners. At the end of 2021, we established a partnership between global biopharma company UCB and Oncode Investigators Jos Jonkers and Peter ten Dijke. In a collaborative research project they are trying to better understand how to target the tumor microenvironment in breast cancer models. 


Speeding up drug development

Oncode Institute was one of the driving forces behind the successful Oncode-PACT growth fund application. Oncode-PACT has the ambition to develop new effective cancer drugs faster and more cost-effectively. The consortium - consisting of more than 40 public and private parties from different corners of the oncology ecosystem - aims to innovate the preclinical drug development process by bringing patients into the lab. Key technologies such as organoids and AI will play a major role in the set up.


High tech solutions during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic

During the chaos that COVID-19 caused worldwide, Oncode Investigators Marvin Tanenbaum and Wouter de Laat decided to put their knowledge and skills to good use. Using very high throughput robotics, they designed a COVID-19 screening robot that was able to increase the capacity of the PCR based screening procedure enormously. From available technology funds, Oncode Institute pre-financed the purchase of the custom built robot to make it accessible as quickly as possible.


04 -07- 2022 / 05 -07- 2022

From bench to bedside within 5 years

Oncode Inverstigator Rebekka Schneider’s lab is focused on myeloproliferative neoplasms. In the early days of her joining Oncode Institute, her lab discovered a promising and druggable new target for myelofibrosis. Based on promising results using tasquinimod (an experimental drug that was initially tested for prostate cancer), Oncode filed a patent and granted Rebekka a CPoC and TechDev project funding to translate these promising findings. After initiating partnership discussions with Active Biotech, a license agreement for the clinical and commercial development of tasquinimod was concluded, leading to an orphan drug designation. At the start of Oncode phase 2, everything should be ready to start clinical proof-of-concept studies of tasquinimod for the treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasms, to be led by HOVON - the Haemato Oncology Foundation for Adults in the Netherlands. A bench-to-bedside success story within 5 years in a nutshell!


Start-ups in the spotlight

To accelerate the translation of our research, we have established the Oncode Oncology Bridge Fund. With this we support the creation and operations of our own spin-off companies, which are based on the excellent science that is performed by our Oncode Investigators. Three great examples of start-ups that sprouted from Oncode labs are Cyclomics (by OI Jeroen de Ridder), Oncosense (by OI René Bernards) en Immagene (by OI Daniel Peeper).


Check out these start-ups yourself:


Excellent science

Outsmarting cancer

impacting lives

Technology roadshow