Dr. Patricia Olofsen-Dieleman and Prof. Niels Bovenschen (both Center for Translational Immunology, UMC Utrecht) both receive NWO ENW-XS grants. These grants will enable them to conduct fundamental research through promising ideas in small, innovative projects of up to €50,000.
This involves curiosity-driven, innovative research and the ability to quickly analyze a promising idea. The characteristics of NWO ENW-XS research are: (1) the proposed research is innovative; (2) it need not be certain in advance whether the intended project objective will be achieved; (3) each project contributes to existing and new scientific insights; (4) and the research may pursue societal impact; however, the latter is not a requirement. Following are the details of the honored projects:
In this project, Patricia Olofsen-Dieleman will investigate whether tumor-promoting and immunosuppressive neutrophils can be reprogrammed into anti-tumor neutrophils using IgA antibodies. Neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, play a complex role in cancer; they can both support and fight the tumor, but current immunotherapies do not effectively exploit their anti-tumor potential. Using advanced techniques such as single-cell RNA sequencing and mouse models expressing the human CXCL8 protein and the IgA receptor, she aims to determine whether IgA antibodies can convert harmful neutrophils into beneficial, cancer-fighting neutrophils This research may deepen our understanding of neutrophils in cancer and advance the development of novel (IgA) immunotherapies.
Medulloblastoma is the most common brain tumor in children without specific therapy, resulting in a mortality rate of >30% and severe cognitive, neuronal and motor side effects in survivors. Niels Bovenschen proposes to combine oncolytic Vaccinia virus with Tri-specific NK cell engagers (TRiKEs). This construct passes the blood-brain barrier resulting in Vaccinia virus-mediated medulloblastoma killing which will attract immune cells which will be directed to remaining cancer cells by the TRiKEs and initiate a potent immune response. They deploy Vaccinia virus, medulloblastoma-specific TRiKEs, immune cells and medulloblastoma organoids for this purpose. This groundbreaking research can directly pave the way for clinical trials.
