Oncode Accelerator Pulse - Spring 2024
When do we consider Oncode Accelerator a success?
What outcome justifies the great investment of time and money on part of our funders and partners?
Editorial: The Oncode Accelerator Board of Directors Reflects on the Goals of the Oncode Accelerator Program
The question is as valid as it is difficult to answer. It begins with the definition of ‘success’ in the context of this program. Is that a clinical candidate for a new and accessible cancer therapy for patients? An efficient, innovated and validated pipeline for (pre)clinical development of cancer therapies? Is it a sustainable financial contribution to the Dutch economy? Or do we define success by developing tools for treating patients faster and better with less side effects?
The scale of the program justifies that we set the bar high. Our ambitions are to significantly contribute to all these goals – and more – over the next eight years. Our starting position holds immense potential. The Netherlands has world-leading cancer research institutions and scientists, a top-ranking healthcare ecosystem with detailed databases of patient data and materials, and a strong culture of collaboration.
Friso Smit, COO Oncode Accelerator FoundationThe scale of the program justifies that we set the bar high. Our ambitions are to significantly contribute to all these goals – and more – over the next eight years.
That collaboration is forged into the core of Oncode Accelerator: our four workstreams – small molecules, cell and gene therapies, biologics, therapeutic vaccines – will be innovated by using methods, models and technologies of our innovative platforms – patient cohorts, organoids, artificial intelligence. Demonstration projects are applied to validate these innovations. In every step, public-private collaboration is key. We believe that innovation can flourish at the intersection of scientific disciplines and by using the expertise and facilities of both academia and industry. Ultimately, this contributes to the accelerated development of better cancer treatments.
However, within Oncode Accelerator, we look beyond technology. We start the development process with a specific patient group and their medical need in mind. In this biannual collection of stories, available to everyone interested in our program, we give a voice to cancer patients, their advocates, and supporters. Next to articles about relevant scientific breakthroughs, we bring personal, sometimes poignant stories alternating with articles focusing on the vision and ambitions of our researchers.
This patient-centric approach reminds us of the main goal of all our work: to improve the lives of people living with cancer.
Read the Collection
-
The Potential Impact of Oncode Accelerator
“I started working at the Máxima Center shortly after becoming a parent myself. Walking around our research hospital, I quickly realized that your child having to face cancer is one of the worst things that can happen to a family. That is a huge driving force for me to do everything possible to improve cancer treatment by discovering new therapies.” In this blog, Sebastiaan van Heesch talks about his enthusiasm for research and his perspective on the impact of Oncode Accelerator. -
‘Oncode Accelerator places patients at the center of the development process’
Meet Geraldine Vink, Program Manager at UMC Utrecht/IKNL. Together with Miriam Koopman, medical oncologist at UMC Utrecht, Geraldine heads up the Innovation Platform ‘Well-Defined Patient Cohorts’ within the Oncode Accelerator Program. Geraldine acts as a Program Lead, Miriam - as Principal Investigator (PI) and Scientific Lead of the platform. -
The Power of Artificial Intelligence
To accelerate the development of safe, personalized and effective therapies, we place the patient at the center of the preclinical development process. We do this by fully utilizing the power of three innovation platforms – Artificial Intelligence being one of them. In this video, platform lead Gerard van Westen explains more about what the AI platform entails in practice.
-
Expanding Oncode Accelerator Foundation's Board of Directors
As of January 2024, the Oncode Accelerator Foundation welcomes two new board members: Arnoud Huisman and Mark Krul. ‘They bring great experience and expertise to develop the program into the next phase’, says chairman of the Supervisory Board Fred Dom. -
The Promise of Disease Models for Cancer Therapy Development
In the world of medical research, good disease models are key to paving the way for new treatments and therapies. In this interview, Marjon Pasmooij, head of the science department at the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board (MEB), and Jarno Drost, Group Leader at the Princess Máxima Center for pediatric oncology and Oncode Investigator, share their insights on the impact of organoid technology in cancer research. -
The Collaborative Nature of the Program is Key
Prof. dr. Mario van der Stelt (Leiden University) has been involved in the Oncode Accelerator program since its conception in 2021. ‘Only 5% of all small molecules in clinical trials will result in a therapy; this means there’s an enormous potential to do better.’
Subscribe to Stay Connected
Did you enjoy this edition of Oncode Accelerator Pulse? Subscribe to our newsletter for more stories like this.