Detecting cancer accurately is one of the most important steps in improving treatment. During surgery, it can be difficult to distinguish tumour tissue from healthy tissue. Even before a tumour develops, the earliest biological changes that drive cancer often go unnoticed.
In this edition of Inside the Synergy Projects 2026, we highlight two collaborative projects that approach this challenge from different angles. By bringing together expertise across the Oncode Institute community, they are developing new ways to detect cancer earlier and more precisely, creating opportunities for better treatment and, ultimately, better outcomes for patients.
Helping surgeons see tumour tissue more clearly
Completely removing a tumour is often essential for successful cancer treatment. This can be particularly challenging after chemotherapy or radiotherapy, when scar-like tissue may hide remaining cancer cells.
In the project Design and validation of small protein probes for pan-cancer fluorescence-guided surgery, Oncode researchers Thibault Vantieghem (Leiden University Medical Center) and Niels Rinzema (Hubrecht Institute) are developing small fluorescent protein probes that recognise molecular features commonly found on cancer cells but not on healthy tissue.
Using advanced computational protein design together with laboratory testing, the researchers aim to create compact probes that penetrate tumours effectively and generate a stronger, clearer fluorescent signal than current imaging tools. These probes will be evaluated in cancer cell models and patient-derived tumour samples to determine how accurately they distinguish tumour tissue.
Ultimately, the goal is to develop a broadly applicable imaging tool that helps surgeons remove tumours more completely while preserving healthy tissue across different cancer types.
Looking at the earliest changes before cancer develops
For people carrying a BRCA1 mutation, the lifetime risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer is significantly increased. While treatments for established BRCA1-associated tumours have improved, much less is known about the earliest changes that occur before cancer develops.
In the project Decoding Brca1 loss-of-heterozygosity at single-cell resolution, Oncode researchers Bo Scherer (NKI), Tatum van Maanen (Hubrecht Institute), Julia-Star Darnold (NKI) and Moritz Bauer (Hubrecht Institute) are investigating this critical stage using a newly developed Brca1 mouse model.
By combining expertise in BRCA1 biology, single-cell genomics and epigenomics, the team will generate the first integrated molecular map of Brca1 loss-of-heterozygosity during precancer development. Their work could contribute to new biomarkers that help identify cancer earlier and support future prevention strategies for BRCA1 mutation carriers.
Although these projects focus on different stages of cancer, they share the same ambition: improving how cancer is detected. Whether supporting surgeons in the operating room or revealing the earliest cellular changes that precede disease, both collaborations demonstrate how complementary expertise can help address important challenges in cancer research.
What the researchers say
Meet the researchers behind these collaborations and discover what excites them most about their projects.
Design and validation of small protein probes for pan-cancer fluorescence-guided surgery
Thibault Vantieghem
“Protein design is an innovative and rapidly advancing field, and our project applies it to a real clinical challenge. I am excited to translate molecular design into tools that can directly improve surgical outcomes and benefit patients”
Niels Rinzema
“The opportunity for a fundamental scientist to contribute to such a concrete and relevant tool is inspiring.”
Decoding Brca1 loss-of-heterozygosity at single-cell resolution: multi-omic dissection of early cancer-promoting states
Bo Scherer
"The best science happens when people with different skills come together. No single discipline has all the answers. This project could not exist without collaboration and that's what excites me most. Working together makes science better, and the journey more rewarding.”
Tatum van Maanen
“Together with 150+ Oncode researchers, I climbed Alpe d’HuZes for the patients who couldn’t. A promise to keep fighting. This grant lets me turn that climb into impact, improving the lives of hereditary breast cancer patients. And just like on that mountain, we do it together.”
Julia-Star Darnold
“Understanding BRCA1-driven precancer is a scientific uphill climb: challenging, relentless, but deeply purposeful. By combining our novel Brca1 loss-of-heterozygosity tracing mouse model with advanced and unique single-cell approaches, we aim to catch cancer before it begins. This funding turns an uphill battle into a climb worth taking.”
Moritz Bauer
“Pushing the boundaries of single-cell epigenomics often means working in simplified systems to keep the method tractable. Here we get to do something rare: bring a truly cutting-edge multi-omic approach to a biologically urgent question, in primary tissue, with the perfect collaborators to make it work.”
About the Oncode Synergy Projects 2026
Inside the Synergy Projects 2026 is a series highlighting the collaborative research projects supported through the Oncode Synergy Projects 2026 programme. Supported through the collaboration between Alpe d'HuZes, KWF and Oncode Institute, the programme brings together Oncode researchers from different institutes and disciplines to develop innovative approaches to cancer research.