Better efficacy of immunotherapy with new lung cancer vaccine
Alsya Affandi and his team will research a new type of lung cancer vaccine with which he aims to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy. He will develop a so-called “intranasal nanovaccine” that can activate T cells, immune cells, in the lungs. Intranasal means the vaccine is administered through the nose. The specially developed nanovaccine is expected to help immune cells absorb the vaccine better. The researchers will test the vaccine in preclinical models in the lab for its ability to activate T cells in the lungs. They will also see if it inhibits lung cancer. If the tests are successful, this vaccine could be further developed for use by patients.
This research is possible thanks to participants in the fundraising sporting event Alpe d'HuZes.
Predicting efficacy of immunotherapy in melanoma
Neoadjuvant immunotherapy, a treatment given before surgery, is promising in stage III melanoma, metastatic skin cancer. Unfortunately, 20 to 30 percent of patients do not respond well to the treatment. Yvette van Kooyk, in collaboration with Christian Blank of the NKI, is focusing her research on identifying immune inhibitory mechanisms. Specifically, she focuses on so-called “sialyltransferases” and “Siglec receptors,” which can reduce the effectiveness of immunotherapy. By analyzing the expression of these receptors in tumor and lymph node biopsies from 130 melanoma patients, she hopes to discover new biomarkers that can better predict the response to immunotherapy. This could help tailor treatments and improve treatment outcomes for patients.
New immunotherapy for patients with cancer
Roeland Lameris' research focuses on developing a new immunotherapy for cancer, using so-called oncolytic viruses (OVs). OVs are viruses that infect cancer cells and then selectively kill them. Unfortunately, the immune system is often unable to respond effectively, which is why Lameris' research aims to “arm” OVs with multi-specific antibodies. These should ensure that so-called T cells are trained to recognize and attack cancer. This new form of immunotherapy may be effective in various cancers. Also, this immunotherapy could potentially make cancer sensitive to so-called “immune checkpoint inhibitors,” which negate the immune-suppressive effects of cancer. This could allow a larger group of patients to benefit from this treatment.
This research is possible thanks to participants in the fundraising sporting event Alpe d'HuZes.
Tracking disease course in pharyngeal cancer
Ruud Brakenhoff's research, conducted with René Leemans, Veerle Coupé and Jos Poell, aims to improve follow-up care for patients with pharyngeal cancer by early and reliable detection of recurrent tumors. They do this by developing and applying a sequencing test that can detect HPV DNA in the blood of patients with an HPV-positive tumor. This test makes it possible to determine whether live tumors are still present after treatment. In fact, MRI or PET-CT often still shows an abnormality, but it is not clear whether this is a living tumor or scar tissue. In addition, the test can predict much earlier than before whether the disease will return.