{"id":16110,"date":"2019-11-26T14:49:40","date_gmt":"2019-11-26T13:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hollandbio.nl\/?p=16110"},"modified":"2019-11-27T08:59:46","modified_gmt":"2019-11-27T07:59:46","slug":"biotech-wednesday-cell-therapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hollandbio.nl\/en\/nieuws\/biotech-wednesday-cell-therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"Biotech Wednesday: Joining forces to outsmart cancer \u2013 new frontiers in cell therapy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

United by a desire to bring new cell therapies to patients, Oncode Institute<\/strong><\/a> and HollandBIO brought together academia, life sciences companies, clinicians and other stakeholders on November 20th<\/sup> 2019. This first of its kind event highlighted the great science and potential of the Netherlands to take lead in this field. In a packed Muntgebouw, prominent experts zoomed in on the different challenges they encounter bringing these products from bench to bedside. Will joining forces help us to outsmart cancer? The success of the first Oncode-HollandBIO event leads us to believe it does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During their opening words, HollandBIO\u2019s\nAnnemiek Verkamman and Oncode\u2019s Scientific Director Geert Kops stressed the\nimportance of collaboration. By teaming up our communities, HollandBIO and\nOncode can combine the strength of over 200 life sciences companies and 61\nresearch groups of over 850 cancer researchers. The Biotech Wednesday on cell\ntherapy is a first step in getting the two fields more familiar with one\nanother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the first part of the program, the future of cancer therapies was highlighted from an academic perspective. Oncode Investigator prof. dr. Ton Schumacher<\/strong><\/a> (NKI) kicked off with a presentation on the current and future potential of adoptive T-cell therapies. With his involvement in CAR-T and TIL therapy and his work on finding solutions for off-the-shelf CAR-T and autologous TCR therapies, Ton set both a scientific and entrepreneurial example. Oncode Investigator prof. dr. Sjoerd van der Burg<\/strong><\/a> (LUMC), the event\u2019s  next speaker, has equally high ambitions. He aims to outsmart cancer by working around one of its current immune escape routes. Sjoerd\u2019s established work on a mechanism for an alternative antigen presenting pathway and he is figuring out the next steps to start a spin-off, with the support of Oncode Institute. With so many new treatment options coming through, Oncode Investigator dr. Sarah Derks<\/strong><\/a> (Amsterdam UMC) advocated a need for more physician-scientists to bridge the gap between science and clinic. Her plea? More time for basic science and research, increased institutional support and a stronger network. There should be more communication between scientists and physicians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a networking break, the second\npart of the programme focused on the industry\u2019s perspective. Because once\nyou\u2019ve decided to establish a company, you\u2019re up for a lot of challenges:\nproduction, investors, competitors, etc. Glycostem CEO Troels Jordansen explained\nwhat it takes to move innovation further from bench to bedside, such as\nbuilding your own GMP \u2013 clean room space. He shared insights about challenges\nGlycostem faced, which important factors matter and which do not. The final notes\nabout bringing a cell therapy product from idea to Dutch patients were shared by\nNovartis\u2019 dr. Albert van Hell. From regulatory challenges to risk management\nplans, from prolonged follow-up requests to contractual and logistic challenges\nat the hospitals: being a frontrunner can be a demanding job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can collaboration bring cell therapy further? And if so, how? In a final panel discussion presided by Markwin Velders, chair of HollandBIO and Managing Director of Kite Pharma, the speakers shared their insights. All agreed that communication, trust and ambition are key to establish successful partnerships. The interests from different stakeholders do not always align and this is important to keep in mind when managing expectations. Above all, one thing stood out: we all need each other to bring innovative therapies to market for the benefits of the patients. The Oncode-HollandBIO event was a first effort to break the ice \u2013 and given the interest, shared ambition and enthusiasm, it most definitely won\u2019t be the last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n