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As of October 1 2025, Dr. Joke den Haan has been appointed Professor of Translational Immunology, with a special focus on cancer vaccines, at the Amsterdam UMC/Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam. Her chair is embedded within the Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology and is affiliated with the Amsterdam Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases and Cancer Center Amsterdam (AI&I and CCA).

With over 30 years of experience in immunological research, Dr. den Haan has always been fascinated by the complexity of the immune system. Her work primarily focuses on the adaptive immune system, consisting of T cells and B cells, and how to optimally activate cytotoxic T cells. In recent years, her research group has discovered that activation of these T cells is enhanced when vaccines are taken up by specific types of antigen-presenting cells. This insight is now being used to improve vaccines, aiming to elicit stronger T cell responses, an essential step in the fight against cancer, as current vaccines often fall short in this regard.

Dr. den Haan’s journey began with fundamental immunological research, but she now hopes to apply this knowledge in translational projects. Her group is developing nanobodies that bind to specific receptors on antigen-presenting cells. When incorporated into vaccines, these nanobodies significantly enhance immune responses. This technology is being further developed in collaboration with Immunara Therapeutics, a spin-out company with Dr. Alsya Affandi and Dr. Hendrik Brink as founders, and Lead Scientists in the team of Dr. den Haan.

From fundamental discovery to translational application

Dr. den Haan’s scientific path started with her PhD research at Leiden University, where she studied peptide antigens recognized by cytotoxic T cells. Her postdoctoral work at the University of Washington in Seattle revealed that certain types of antigen-presenting cells are much more effective than others in priming cytotoxic T cells. Returning to the Netherlands, she joined the department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology (MCBI) at VUmc, where she discovered, unexpectedly, that macrophages can play a crucial role in activating cytotoxic T cells, a finding that has shaped her current research direction. This unexpected result highlights the importance of exploring new avenues and being open to surprising findings in research.

Her group now focuses on developing cancer vaccines that contain antigens recognized by multiple patients, aiming for an “off-the-shelf” solution rather than patient-specific vaccines, which are labor-intensive and costly. In addition, they are collaborating with other researchers to develop nanobodies targeting different receptors on antigen-presenting cells, exploring how these receptors work together in infectious diseases, and how nanobodies can be incorporated in immunomodulatory treatments for autoimmune diseases.

Challenges and opportunities in Translational Immunology

Dr. den Haan sees great opportunities in new technologies that allow for unbiased analysis of gene and protein expression, generating vast amounts of new knowledge. However, these advances also bring challenges, such as increased research costs and the need for expertise in data analysis. She emphasizes the unique and complex nature of the immune system, particularly the diversity and mobility of T and B cells, the different immunological niches in which they develop and are activated, and the ongoing need for pre-clinical in vivo models to study these processes in their entirety, together with the valuable efforts to minimize their use.

Education and inspiring the next generation

As a professor, Dr. den Haan is committed to education, next to research and valorization. She is actively involved in teaching immunology in bachelor and master courses at the VU, and organizes the AI&I PhD course ‘Advanced Immunology’ together with Dr. Bianca Blom and Dr. Monika Wolkers, and enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for the field with students.

Ensuring that research findings are translated into clinical applications is a key ambition for Dr. den Haan. She is dedicated to fostering collaboration and inspiring the next generation of researchers in the field of translational immunology and cancer vaccines.

Text: Esmée Vesseur and Joke den Haan