Outsmarting Cancer, Impacting lives

Around 1 in 7 women develop breast cancer in their life. As we are closing the October Breast Cancer Awareness month, we reflect with three Oncode Investigators on their contribution to the scientific understanding, prevention and treatment of this disease. 

We spoke with Karin de Visser about her scientific drive, the defining moments in her work and her hope for the treatment of patients with breast cancer. 

The Netherlands has a strong scientific foundation, but too few discoveries find their way into new businesses. The Dutch Spin-off Report 2026 by Techleap highlights this challenge, particularly in health sciences. At Oncode, we see both the obstacles and the opportunities to turn promising research into innovations that benefit patients and the Dutch economy.

Oncode Institute researcher Maximilian Madern has received the 2026 International Birnstiel Award for Doctoral Research in Molecular Life Sciences, recognising his doctoral research in the group of Oncode Investigator Marvin Tanenbaum at the Hubrecht Institute.