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Today, Oncode Accelerator announced that ExpediteBio, a biotechnology company dedicated to accelerating the development, de-risking the progression, and enabling the early clinical validation of innovative antibody-based therapeutics, has joined its Biologics Workstream as a new partner. The collaboration strengthens Oncode Accelerator's ability to move promising anti-cancer antibody-based therapeutics from the lab bench towards first-in-human studies.Nederlandse versie

The Oncode Impact Foundation, a joint initiative of the Oncode Accelerator Foundation and Oncode Institute, launched today. It uses philanthropy to fund the development of new treatment options for cancer patients through the so-called ‘valley of death’: the crucial phase in which promising scientific breakthroughs often falter and fail to reach patients.

How cells communicate and develop is controlled by communication pathways. The so called Wnt signaling pathway plays a central role in almost all childhood liver tumors. Researchers from the Princess Máxima Center and Linköping University in Sweden - supported by Oncode Accelerator, Stichting Kinderen Kankervrij (KiKa) and the Princess Máxima Center Foundation (Kus van Kiki) - have now discovered how this pathway can result in tumor cells with different features within a single tumor. Their findings contribute to better classification of these tumors and, in the future, more tailored treatments.

Oncode Accelerator and Oncode Institute are joining forces with the AI4Health initiative to make healthcare more personalized, sustainable, and innovative by developing, validating, and implementing trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) solutions across the care system.

A group of international researchers has discovered 1,700 new proteins. The research data they collected has been made accessible to other researchers. These are small proteins that may play an important role in cells, for example in the development of diseases such as (childhood) cancer. The researchers hope to quickly learn more about the role of these newly discovered micro‑proteins in the so‑called dark proteome, which they call peptideins. These proteins may offer new leads for future treatments.

On 9th April, Oncode Accelerator announced a new Demonstrator Project supporting innovative research from the Antibody Therapy Group at University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht and JJP Biologics, a Polish biotechnology company. The international team will leverage Oncode Accelerator’s innovation Platforms – Artificial Intelligence (AI), Patient Cohorts, and Organoids – to develop a novel bispecific antibody therapy.

Today, the Oncode Accelerator Foundation announced that Arnoud Huisman will step down as CEO and Chair of the Board of Directors as of 1 April. To further strengthen strategic alignment with Oncode Institute, Bertholt Leeftink, Managing Director of Oncode Institute, has been appointed as the new CEO and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Oncode Accelerator Foundation. Going forward, Bertholt will lead both organizations, which have distinct focus areas within a shared mission.

On February 26th, Oncode Accelerator announced two new Demonstrator Projects supporting women-led biotech companies developing innovative cancer therapies. Loma Therapeutics (Denmark) is advancing a promising immunotherapy against human papilloma virus (HPV)-caused cancers, while Cumulus Oncology (Scotland) is developing a novel small molecule therapy for colorectal cancer.

Omivera, a spin-off company built around the CellEKT chemical proteomics platform, has secured a seed investment from UNIIQ: an investment fund focused on supporting the proof-of-concept phase to help young companies bring their product or technology to market. The CellEKT technology was developed by Omivera CEO Joel Rüegger (Leiden University, Oncode Institute) and colleagues in the lab of Mario van der Stelt (Leiden University, Oncode Institute) in collaboration with Roche, with support from Oncode Accelerator. The seed investment from UNIIQ will support Omivera in continued platform development and commercial rollout, as a newly launched CRO serving pharma and biotech companies worldwide.

During a working visit from the Dutch National Growth Fund to Oncode Accelerator, which took place at Leiden University Medical Center, one central theme emerged: how do we translate investments in innovation and infrastructure in oncology into impact for the economy, science, as well as society?

Utrecht, 12 January 2026Oncode Accelerator and Dutch biotech start-up UPyTher have launched a collaborative Demonstrator Project to develop a new treatment approach for peritoneal metastases — a form of cancer that is particularly difficult to treat. The collaboration aims to make treatment safer, simpler, and more effective for patients who currently have very limited options.

Accelerating the development of next-generation cancer therapies through collaboration and innovation. That is the mission of Oncode Accelerator. During the Oncode Accelerator Summit on December 4th, Attivare Therapeutics, a spin-out from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, announced it has joined the program to launch a new Demonstrator Project. The project will integrate Organ-on-a-Chip technology with Attivare's novel therapeutic vaccine platform to develop more effective treatments for hard-to-treat cancers.

How do you turn cutting-edge science into therapies that change patients’ lives? That question was at the heart of the second  Oncode Accelerator Summit, where over 300 researchers, entrepreneurs, clinicians, patient advocates and industry leaders gathered for an afternoon devoted to one theme:  From Innovation to Impact.

Acht initiatieven die worden gefinancierd vanuit het Nationaal Groeifonds bundelen hun krachten om innovatie in Life Sciences & Health te versnellen en duurzame economische groei te stimuleren, met een focus op maatschappelijke impact in Nederland. Op 2 december hebben vertegenwoordigers van Biotech Booster, Health-RI, HOLOmicrobiome, NXTGEN Hightech, Ombion, Oncode Accelerator, PharmaNL en RegMed XB officieel een ‘memorandum of understanding’ (MOU) ondertekend om de samenwerking tussen hun programma’s te versterken.

Developing a new cancer therapy is a complex undertaking. To bring a novel drug to the clinic, top-notch research is essential – but is not enough on its own. Developing and launching a new therapy also requires sufficient funding, an entrepreneurial mindset, and perseverance. In this article, we dive into a story that is still unfolding, with research that began in academia and is now under development towards becoming a new treatment for neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer. We spoke to both the scientists behind the research – Professor Jeanette Leusen and Dr. Mitchell Evers of UMC Utrecht – as well as Rik Leunis of Villa Joep, a funder that made it possible.