Researchers from the LUMC, Erasmus MC, and Oncode Institute have developed a new vaccine for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that makes previously undetectable cancer cells visible again to the immune system. In the first clinical study involving 26 patients, the vaccine proved safe and successfully activated immune responses in over 80% of participants. These early results, now published in Nature Communications, offer hope for patients whose tumors are resistant to immunotherapy.
This groundbreaking result is the product of close collaboration between fundamental and clinical scientists, made possible by the Clinical Proof-of-Concept (CPoC) program of Oncode Institute. The program enabled researchers to test their novel idea in a clinical setting and refine the vaccine in real time, accelerating its path from lab to clinic.
A new strategy for resistant tumors
Immunotherapy can be highly effective against metastatic NSCLC, but not all patients respond. Some tumors manage to escape immune detection by hiding the molecules that normally alert the immune system. That’s where this new vaccine, developed by Prof. Sjoerd van der Burg (LUMC & Oncode Investigator), comes in.
Van der Burg and his colleague Prof. Thorbald van Hall discovered that even “invisible” tumor cells display a unique marker: a protein called TEIPP. These TEIPP molecules appear only on cancer cells that have escaped immune detection, not on healthy tissue. The vaccine trains the immune system to recognise TEIPP, making the hidden tumor cells visible again.
“This TEIPP vaccine reawakens the immune system to cancer cells it would otherwise miss,” explains PhD researcher Mitchell Emmers (Erasmus MC), who coordinated the clinical trial under the supervision of Prof. Joachim Aerts (Erasmus MC).
Clinical results and potential
In the trial, patients experienced only mild side effects (local pain and flu-like symptoms), while blood samples confirmed the activation of TEIPP-specific T cells. While it is too early to say whether the vaccine improves survival, the signs are promising, and the trial already showed a notable response in one patient.
“These early effects show we’re on the right track,” says Van der Burg. “This vaccine could potentially be used alongside checkpoint inhibitors to treat more patients more effectively.”
Oncode’s Clinical Proof-of-Concept program: essential support
This research was one of the first to be supported by Oncode Institute’s Clinical Proof-of-Concept (CPoC) program. The program allows Oncode Investigators to explore whether promising discoveries from the lab are viable in early-stage clinical trials.
“The CPoC program helped us move fast,” says Van der Burg. “At the start, we didn’t know how the vaccine would behave in humans. Oncode’s agile structure gave us the confidence and flexibility to test it, adapt the trial when needed, and add value to the product at an early stage.”
Aerts agrees: “As a clinician, you’re constantly short on time for research. Collaborating with a translational researcher like Sjoerd, supported by Oncode, made it possible to translate a scientific idea into a real clinical trial — something that’s often underestimated in complexity.”
Thanks to this structure, the team was able to quickly adjust the trial after spotting a clinical response. “We were able to expand the study and include combination therapy with checkpoint inhibitors almost immediately,” says Aerts. “That kind of speed is rare in clinical research.”
What’s next?
Although the CPoC project has formally ended, the work continues. The researchers are preparing a next-generation clinical trial and exploring the establishment of a company to bring the vaccine to market.
“We want to keep the momentum,” Van der Burg says. “The preclinical work is nearly done. Now it’s time to take the next step and ensure patients can benefit from what we’ve discovered.”
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What is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)?
- NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer. In 2024, over 10,000 people in the Netherlands were diagnosed with it.
- Only about 20% of patients survive five years after diagnosis.
- Many tumors are resistant to standard treatments, including immunotherapy. Chemotherapy remains an option, but has significant side effects.