The Netherlands Cancer Institute

𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆 A new blood test may eventually be able to replace certain CT scans. The blood of patients with metastatic cancer contains circulating tumor DNA, which provides crucial information about the disease. The test can assess the effectiveness of treatments, regardless of cancer type. It appears that this test can measure treatment success even more accurately than the CT scans currently used to monitor treatment outcomes, as the results of a new study conducted by the Netherlands Cancer Institute and others show. Cancer cells in the body are often unstable and die quickly, releasing fragments of tumor DNA into the bloodstream. This circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) contains valuable information about the cancer. By analyzing tumor DNA, doctors can gain insight into the way tumor cells are developing, and the severity of the disease. With the new blood test, doctors can measure the tumor DNA in the blood and use this information to determine whether treatment is working. “Patients are currently required to come to the hospital for a CT scan to see whether treatment is effective,” says Remond Fijneman from the Netherlands Cancer Institute. “With this blood test, patients can have their treatment monitored from home or at their general practitioner.” Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/3UsdK8U #NKI #cancerresearch #ctDNA #circulatingtumordna #DNA

🎓 “𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝘁 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻” Cell division takes a lot of time and energy. Cells pause all other activities during this process, which means that it is harder to repair damage to the DNA during division. This damage works just like coffee stains on the page of a book—it becomes difficult to read. The cell tries to fill in the unintelligible parts so that it can continue dividing. It’s fascinating to observe these processes and see what happens when you knock out the various players involved. These changes are too small to see with the naked eye, but it’s like reading a book letter by letter. We analyze the hundreds of gigabytes worth of data on a computer. My favorite part is reasoning backwards to figure out what’s happening. I taught myself the computer work, and while it wasn’t always easy, I’m proud that I stuck with it. Now I’m a bioinformatician at Merus, a company in Utrecht that produces antibodies against cancer.” Daniel de Groot defended his thesis on October 16. #PhD #PhDlife #DNA #thesis #NKI

The Supervisory Board appoints prof. dr. Thijn Brummelkamp (1975) as a Member of the Executive Board / Scientific Director of the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) as of December 1, 2024. He will succeed prof. dr. Ton Schumacher who served as an ad interim scientific director following the departure of prof. dr. Rene H. Medema in April 2024. Brummelkamp has gained national and international scientific recognition as a researcher in experimental biomedical genetics. He has developed widely used techniques to study gene function and has applied these to characterize numerous cellular processes. Brummelkamp conducted his PhD research under the supervision of prof. dr. Rene Bernards at the NKI and started his own research group at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge (USA). His research group relocated to the NKI in 2011. In addition to his role at the NKI, he is a professor at Universiteit Utrecht, a member of the Oncode Institute, and a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW - Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen). Alongside his academic work, he co-founded Scenic Biotech, a company focused on genetic modifiers, and is currently establishing a company focused on a new class of tumor antigens. “At the Netherlands Cancer Institute, we believe that the problem of cancer can be solved through high-quality research and sharing expertise throughout the entire chain. We know that appointing Thijn Brummelkamp means that our key values will be safeguarded over the coming years. He has been deeply involved with our organization for years. We are overjoyed to be able to add a scientist of his caliber to our Executive Board”, says Piet van der Slikke, head of the Supervisory Board of the Netherlands Cancer Institute. Maurice van den Bosch of the Executive Board, adds: “The Executive Board is very proud to welcome Thijn to our team. This appointment highlights the importance of fundamental research for improved cancer treatments in the future. Thijn will use his collaborative qualities to strengthen the connection between lab and clinic – within our institute as well as beyond. Because only when we work together can we contribute to our mission: a cure for every cancer and excellent care for every patient.” Brummelkamp will start in his new role on December 1, 2024, and will continue to lead his own research group at the NKI. #fundamental #NKI #scientificdirector #newjob #collaboration

🎓 “𝐀𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠” “I still remember the first day of my PhD project, in 2009. My supervisor showed me an image and said it was my job to improve it. But what was I looking at? And what had to be improved? It took me a while to start asking these questions. The image turned out to be a Cone Beam CT scan from a lung cancer patient. It wasn’t very clear: there was noise caused by the patient’s breathing during the scan. Using mathematical models, I managed to extend the scan time virtually without extending the scan time for the patient. I also used anatomical information to fill in the noise. When I went back to China in 2014, I’d initially expected to write a few papers and finish my thesis quickly, but things didn’t work out that way. I started my own company in 2016: LinkingMed. We help radiation oncologists across China create better treatment plans using Artificial Intelligence, a technology that was hardly available in 2009. China has the most cancer patients in the world. Now every patient gets a quality radiation plan, no matter where they live or receive their treatment.” Ryan Hua Zhang will defend his thesis on October 29 ➡️ https://bit.ly/4hgKNqd #PhD #PhDlife #thesisdefense #AI

𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐀 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 This year's winner of the Netherlands Cancer Institute's Patient Impact Award is the research team of the SONIA study. Principal investigator and medical oncologist Gabe Sonke received the award today, after which he provided a lecture. The award is granted annually to the clinical innovation with the greatest impact. “The SONIA study is an excellent example of innovation and clinical impact,” says Jacqueline Stouthard, jury and Executive Board member for Health Care and Care Development. “The findings of this study are of great value to breast cancer patients as well as society as a whole, in terms of health and costs.” 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 The SONIA study investigated whether starting CDK4/6 inhibitors immediately in combination with hormone therapy is as effective as a delayed start for women with metastatic hormone-sensitive breast cancer, who use these drugs to enhance the effects of hormone therapy. The results show that a later and shorter treatment yields the same outcomes as starting treatment immediately. The smart use of this medication not only reduces side effects, but also results in savings of €35,000 per patient compared to the internationally established standard treatment. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/48huTrA

🎓 “𝗜 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗺𝗮” “Mesothelioma, a cancer type related to asbestos, still occurs too often. Every year, around 31,000 people are diagnosed with this cancer type. The Netherlands implemented strict regulations on the use of asbestos, but countries including China and India still widely produce and use asbestos in construction and insulation materials. We unfortunately have very few therapies available to treat mesothelioma, and the ones that exist are only partially effective. Using genetic and drug screening techniques, I investigated potential combination treatments—medications that may not work sufficiently on their own, but that might make a difference when combined. I tested these combinations in cell and mouse models. The good news is that I did find a few new combinations that seem to work in the lab. The next step is to test these in clinical trials, but that will take some time. One time a mother with mesothelioma visited us in the lab with her daughter. The daughter had raised money to support our research, and she got to see what her efforts were helping to achieve.” Nick Landman will defend his thesis on October 23 ➡️ https://bit.ly/4dZw9AN #PhD #PhDlife #DNA #thesisdefense #mesothelioma

The protein factories of our cells are much more diverse than we thought they were. Scientists from The Netherlands Cancer Institute have now shown that cancer cells can use these ribosomes to boost their invisibility cloak, helping them hide from the immune system. The team publishes their findings in Cell today. “These findings make us change how we think about ribosomes.” Our immune system is constantly monitoring our body. In order to survive, cancer cells need to evade this inspection. “Making cells more visible to the immune system has revolutionized treatment”, says researcher William Faller from the Netherlands Cancer Institute. “However, many patients don’t respond to these immunotherapies or become resistant.” How cancer cells manage to circumvent elimination by the immune system is still a million-dollar question, though. As it turns out, cancer cells might use our very own protein factories to hide. Each of our cells contains a million of these minuscule factories, known as ribosomes. Liam: “They make all the protein we need. This job is so essential: all life depends on it! This is why people have always thought that every ribosome is the same, and that they just passively churn out protein as dictated by the cell’s nucleus. We’ve now shown that this is not necessarily the case.” Cells change their ribosomes when they receive a danger signal from the immune system, as the new study showed. Liam: “They change the balance towards a type of ribosome with a flexible arm sticking out, called a P-stalk. In doing so, they become better at showing themselves to the immune system.” Read more about the way cancer cells pull power faces ➡️ https://bit.ly/4ePmIVW #NKI #ribosomes #cell #cancerresearch #fundamentalresearch

🎓 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞” "As a statistician in training, I discovered the value of my profession in health care. Biostatistics is a good example of something that can help improve risk prediction. In my project, I focus on the risk of developing breast cancer after treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma. Patients with this cancer type in the lymph nodes receive radiation to the breast region, often at a relatively young age. For my research, I followed women who received treatment at the NKI between 1965 and 2000. In my model, I compared these women in terms of various factors including age and the radiation dose that the breast received during treatment. The good news is that modern accelerators [radiation devices] can be a lot more precise in delivering radiation, which reduces the risk of breast tumors. I was supposed to conduct part of my research at the National Cancer Institute in Washington D.C, but unfortunate that fell through: I had to go back to the Netherlands within a month because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But now I'm back in Washington for my postdoc. It's a fantastic city, full of culture and free museums. But most importantly, I found an institute here with plenty of data and a large number of leading experts to collaborate with here too — just like in Amsterdam. Ideal for a young statistician!" Sander Roberti will defend his thesis on October 23 ➡️ https://bit.ly/3Y3v5G8 #PhDlife #breastcancer

𝗨𝗻𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗧𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘀 Researchers from the Netherlands Cancer Institute and the Princess Máxima Center (Prinses Máxima Centrum voor Kinderoncologie) are launching a new study looking into rhabdoid tumors, a rare and highly aggressive form of childhood cancer. This study is financially made possible thanks to a grant from KiKa (Children Cancer-free Foundation), which has allocated over two million euros to fund four new research projects. Rhabdoid tumors lack a critical gene, which causes a disruption in cell growth and an uncontrolled division of cancer cells. While we know that this missing gene is responsible for the loss of control over cell division, scientists still don't fully understand the inner workings of this process. The team, led by Elzo de Wit (NKI) and Jarno Drost (Princess Máxima Center), aims to further unravel this mechanism. By gaining a deeper understanding of the way these aggressive tumors develop, they hope to find new treatment options that could improve survival rates for children with rhabdoid tumors. “The collaboration with Jarno Drost has provided new insights into the way epigenetics contributes to tumor growth. It’s wonderful that we can continue this important research thanks to KiKa,” De Wit says. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/3zPw9Wc #NKI #rhabdoid #kika #research

🎓 “𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 - 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐮𝐳𝐳𝐥𝐞𝐬” "During my final internship for my Master’s in Biomedical Sciences, I conducted research in Karin de Visser's lab. I received excellent guidance as well as the freedom to delve deeply into the material. I wanted more. After my internship I was able to start my PhD there, studying how different genetic mutations in breast cancer cells affect the immune system in cell and mouse models. One thing we observed was that one genetic mutation led to an unusually high number of a type of while blood cell called neutrophils in the bloodstream and other organs. Neutrophils are normally the body's first line of defense against foreign invaders, such as bacteria and viruses: they help fight infections. But here we saw them do the exact opposite. It seemed like the tumor had hijacked them. Instead of attacking the tumor, they blocked other immune cells, allowing the tumor to spread without resistance. When we prevent the tumor from communicating with these neutrophils, we see fewer metastases develop. We will need further research to find out whether this same process occurs in people. That's the best part of research—you’re always solving puzzles. Just when you think you put the last piece in the correct spot, you notice that three more pieces are missing. I now work at Maastricht UMC+ as a data manager, where I track lung cancer patients in clinical trials." Danique Wullems-Duits will defend her thesis on October 22 ➡️ https://bit.ly/4eLViQv #phd #phdlife #breastcancer #fundamentalresearch