Turning a scientific result into a practical application in any form is never the result of a single person’s or even a single group’s effort. At the Cancer Center Amsterdam, we believe that collaboration is the driving force behind creating true impact from our research.
In order to help future patients live better lives or even cure cancer, we are in constant search of external partners who share a similar objective. A partner that can provide the right skills or facilities, technologies, compounds, tools, or funding for a research project is a crucial step in valorizing our research.
The IXA Alliance Office Cancer Center Amsterdam was founded in 2019 with the goal of expanding and intensifying the collaborations between industry and academic research groups at Cancer Center Amsterdam. The aim is to improve the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cancer by effectively and rapidly applying new biological insights into the care of tomorrow’s patients.
Since 2019 the alliance office has facilitated access to scientific excellence, platform technologies, imaging infrastructure, and patient cohort data and material. The collaboration projects (> 75 sofar) have been mainly in the areas of:
- Know-how: platform technology expertise, clinical trial set-up, assay development;
- Immune-oncology: cellular (CAR-T) and antibody-based therapies, stem-cell research, predictive biomarkes, response monitoring;
- Artificial intelligence & machine learning: imaging stratification tools, advanced medical imaging technologies, bioinformatics;
- Personalized therapy: molecular profiling, prognostic markers, (bio)markers predictive of therapy response or resistance;
- Best practices in cancer care: drug repurposing trials, fatigue management following cancer therapy, screening program implementation trials;
- Infrastructure services: Liquid Biopsy Center, Imaging Center, Phase I clinical trial unit
How does our collaborative model works?
Usually, the first step is for experts of both parties (Cancer Center Amsterdam and the prospective external partner) to connect and discover a shared research interest and enthusiasm to collaborate. In case the company is not yet acquainted with Cancer Center Amsterdam, we very much welcome you to reach out to us at the IXA Alliance Office Cancer Center Amsterdam via the contact page on the IXA website and share your needs and interest so we can introduce you to the right clinical or pre-clinical experts.
A successful collaboration
The next step is a discussion between the Cancer Center Amsterdam research team, IXA business developer, and the company’s scientific team so the proposed project plan can be clarified and agreed upon. A confidentiality agreement can be put in place quickly if an exchange of (undisclosed) data or information is required at this stage. Once a scope of work is agreed upon, the IXA business developer will work with the company and the internal team (financial advisor / project controller, legal counsel and researchers) to put a research agreement in place that respects the interests of all parties involved.
Proper arrangements
It goes without saying that proper arrangements have to be made regarding the ownership of research results, as well as the rights to exploitation and publication. IXA has extensive experience in handling all legal and financial aspects concerning research collaborations. Our goal is to enable partnerships that truly offer added value for all participants.
Read more about collaborating with IXA and Cancer Center Amsterdam.