Press & Media

Oncode Accelerator is a public–private partnership, partially funded by the Dutch National Growth Fund (NGF), that focuses on accelerating and optimizing preclinical cancer drug development by innovating how early-stage research is translated into new and better cancer therapies.  

Oncode Accelerator’s mission is to optimize and accelerate the development of new cancer therapies through collaboration across different fields of expertise, and between academia and industry. This should ultimately benefit patients of all ages.  

While the Netherlands has a strong oncology research ecosystem, promising discoveries often struggle to progress through the preclinical phase, delaying their path to patients. Oncode Accelerator focuses on improving this critical stage to increase the likelihood of success later in development. Oncode Accelerator has built, and is continuing to add to, an innovative and integrated oncology ecosystem in the Netherlands, and makes it accessible for drug developers worldwide through Demonstrator Projects. 

Preclinical development refers to an early phase of drug development before clinical trials in patients, where potential therapies are tested and refined using a range of research models and data. Traditionally, this phase relies heavily on laboratory models such as animal models and cell lines. 

Oncode Accelerator integrates three key innovations into the preclinical process: 

• Artificial intelligence (AI) 
• Well-defined patient cohorts 
• Patient-derived organoids and organoid models, such as organ-on-a-chip

Applying these so-called innovation Platforms can make preclinical development of cancer therapies more predictive, more efficient, and most importantly more relevant to patients.  

Demonstrator Projects are collaborative preclinical drug development projects run on Oncode Accelerator’s innovative oncology infrastructure. Demonstrator Projects simultaneously advance promising therapies towards the clinic and validate and refine the Oncode Accelerator infrastructure.  

Organisations from academia and industry worldwide can apply to take part in a Demonstrator Project.  

Oncode Accelerator brings together a large network of public and private organizations, including six coordinating partners: Leiden University, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, The Princess Máxima Center for pediatric oncology, UMC Utrecht, and the Oncode Accelerator Foundation.  

Read More

Oncode Accelerator was initiated to build on the strength of the Dutch oncology ecosystem and address a recognized gap in translating scientific discoveries into therapies. The program is funded through the Dutch National Growth Fund, which supports initiatives that contribute to long-term societal and economic impact.  

In June 2021, three separate NGF applications were combined into one proposal under guidance of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate policy: Onco-PactNL, National Organoid Center and InTherVacc. The combined initiative was enthusiastically instigated in 2021 under the direction of Oncode Institute, and by a large and diverse group of partners and stakeholders within the Dutch oncology field and innovation ecosystem. In April 2022, the NGF announced ithe investment of 325 million euros in support of the ambitious plan. In 2023 the program, which was originally called Onco-PACT, announced it would continue as Oncode Accelerator.

Oncode Accelerator operates as a large public–private partnership. It is coordinated by six leading partners: Leiden University, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands Cancer Institute, the Princess Máxima Center for pediatric oncology, UMC Utrecht and the Oncode Accelerator Foundation, in close collaboration with additional academic and clinical partners. 

The program structure is designed to ensure scientific excellence and to promote collaboration between stakeholders across academia, industry and healthcare. The program is also set up to support engagement with relevant regulatory and policy frameworks.

Oncode Accelerator and Oncode Institute are separate but closely aligned initiatives, working towards a shared ambition: outsmarting cancer and impacting lives.  Oncode Accelerator is an essential complementary effort to Oncode Institute. 

Oncode Institute is an independent research institute that unites leading oncology scientists. It is dedicated to cracking the code of cancer and speeding up the translation of discoveries into new diagnostics and treatments for cancer patients. Oncode Accelerator forms the essential next step towards the translation of research findings into solutions for patients. Oncode Accelerator provides Oncode Institute and the wider international oncology ecosystem with state-of-the-art infrastructure, expertise and funding to perform preclinical development for new cancer therapies.

Collaboration with regulators and other key stakeholders in the drug development process is a key factor in successfully advancing new approaches in drug development. Oncode Accelerator recognizes the importance of alignment between drug developers, technology developers, and regulators in enabling innovation, and facilitates this through a dedicated Regulatory Innovation Workstream. 

Oncode Accelerator aims to improve the efficiency and predictability of early drug development, which should enable better translation of science into therapies. This should ultimately increase the number of effective cancer treatments reaching patients and reduce the high cost of failure down the line. In addition, the program’s activities validate promising new methods and technologies, which has benefit for the scientific community, and delivers economic impact through nurturing spin off and spin out companies based on scientific innovations and inventions. 

For media inquiries, interview requests or additional information, please contact: 

PR Team: PR@oncodeaccelerator.nl  

General inquiries: info@oncodeaccelerator.nl