Making health impact is one of the goals of Oncode Institute. Therefore, we strive to support the development of promising findings in the lab to the clinic. The Oncode approach is to team up with the researchers and to provide both expert support and funding with the aim to obtain clinical proof of concept for the innovation as soon as possible.
Moving breakthroughs from the lab to the patients is complex. The CPoC programe bridges this gap by providing expert guidance and targeted funding for early clinical studies, so we can quickly learn whether new approaches for diagnostics or treatment have potential to improve patient outcomes.
What the Programe Offers
- Expert guidance: Support from our Valorization team and Exploratory Development Expert Support (OEDES) team, combining expertise from academic, clinical, and industry settings.
- Targeted funding: Resources for early clinical studies to assess whether an innovation has the desired effect in the patient population.
- Structured process: Advice on study design, defining key objectives, and developing robust clinical strategies.
How It Works
Oncode researchers, together with clinical experts, are invited to submit their most promising ideas for early-phase clinical studies. The OEDES and valorisation teams guide applicants towards an effective clinical project. Every project is carefully evaluated for its potential benefit to patients and likelihood of success. Patients must be involved early onwards to ensure their perspective, and any potential burden is considered.
Impact
The CPoC programme has supported projects that aim to tackle some of the toughest challenges in cancer research, including:
Understanding mechanisms of response and resistance to immunotherapies
Developing targeted treatments for glioblastoma and melanoma
Advancing patient stratification and monitoring methods
Including the patient perspective is crucial in the development of diagnostics and treatment. Therefore, we encourage and urge the involvement of patients and patient organisations in the development and design of CPoC studies, ensuring that new treatments address real needs and deliver meaningful benefits. In addition, patient representatives are part of the review panel, to ensure that the patient perspective is taken along in the review process.
Contact
If you would like to learn more about the program, reach out to us.
Marlinde Smit
Marlinde is a programme manager at Lygature. After completing her biomedical studies at the University of Groningen, she did a Phd at the Pediatric Oncology department in the UMCG. Marlinde is passionate about oncology research and loves to bring people together and organize and manage projects. As a programme manager for Oncode, Marlinde supports Oncode researchers to translate their findings into the clinic. By organizing clinical workshops, she brings researchers and clinicians together to explore how fundamental research can address unmet clinical needs. She also focuses on the clinical proof-of-concept programme used to fund pre-clinical and clinical projects. She coordinates a team of experts to support and advice Oncode Researchers and clinicians who together applied for funding.
