Pediatric oncologist and research group leader Dr. Dannis van Vuurden specializes in childhood brain tumors. In his research, he focuses on diffuse midline glioma (DMG), an incurable form of childhood cancer. Some 10 children are diagnosed with this form of cancer each year.
Smart technologies
Van Vuurden: ‘High grade gliomas are so difficult to treat because medicines do not easily reach the tumor, and because they put the brakes on immune cells.’ In the Vidi-funded study, Van Vuurden will use a number of smart technologies to activate immune cells and deliver them into the tumor. In this way, he aims to develop an effective nano-immunotherapy for children with DMG.
‘With this grant, we aim to reprogram the immune system to be more effective against brain tumors, in particular DMG,’ says Van Vuurden. ‘These tumors contain immune cells that help cancer grow and spread instead of attacking it. They release chemicals that stop T-cells, another type of immune cell. With the help of extremely small nanomedicines, we can make them produce different chemicals in order to attract T-cells. We hope that these T-cells will recognize and attack the tumor again.’
It is difficult to deliver medicines to brain tumors, as the brain is protected by the blood-brain barrier. Using ultrasound, his barrier can be opened temporarily and locally in the tumor. In this way, Van Vuurden hopes to further enhance the effect of the nano-immunotherapy.
The idea to combine different new technologies came about thanks to the ‘Wies Alliance’, says Van Vuurden. ‘Wies died from brain stem cancer 2020. His father Paul connected me with scientists from the Eindhoven University of Technology who specialize in nano-immunotherapy. This new Vidi project emerged from our collaboration. And we can perform the research even better thanks to the money that Sten, Wies’ brother, raised by sharpening knives.’
Reward
Van Vuurden is looking forward to the start of this project with great enthusiasm. ‘It’s fantastic to be awarded this prestigious grant. It feels like a huge reward for the research that I have set up in recent years together with my research group. We have worked hard to develop our focus areas: the immune system in the tumor and improved drug delivery to the brain. The Vidi project joins both worlds together. I am very hopeful that by thinking outside the box and connecting different technological innovations, we can ultimately achieve improved survival and quality of life for children with a brain tumor.’