At Oncode Institute, we believe that fundamental discoveries in cancer biology gain strength when they are connected to the people whose lives they aim to improve.
In a research landscape overflowing with data, models and high-throughput methods, it is easy to lose sight of the people behind the samples. Patient involvement does not change the scientific depth of your work. It adds perspective that makes science more relevant, rigorous and transformative.
What patient involvement can bring researchers
Sharper focus
Patients highlight needs, experiences and blind spots that may refine your biological questions and make them more meaningful.
Greater translational potential
Lived experience can inform which mechanisms, models or endpoints matter most in real life, helping results move more smoothly towards application.
Stronger proposals
Many funding agencies reward patient engagement. Showing how patients shaped your research question or approach strengthens applications and reduces the translation gap.
Clearer communication and visibility
Working with patients helps you refine how you explain your science. It simplifies language, anticipates questions and creates public-facing narratives that resonate with broader audiences.
Ethical reflection and innovation
Patient partners act as real-world checkers of assumptions, biases or blind spots. Their input surfaces ethical trade-offs and may inspire new hypotheses or unexpected directions.
Within Oncode Institute, patients contribute in many ways: as trusted members of advisory boards, partners in one-on-one or group collaborations, participants in user boards and as patient advocates embedded in long-term research projects or consortia. In addition, we collaborate with patient organisations, healthcare institutions and independent advocates to ensure that the patient perspective is represented across our research activities. Together, these roles and partnerships help keep fundamental research connected, relevant and impactful.
Patient Perspective Programme – Our Flagship Approach
One of the main ways Oncode Institute researchers can collaborate with patients is through the Patient Perspective Programme. This long-running initiative is our dedicated framework for connecting fundamental researchers with people affected by cancer. Its purpose is to enrich scientific discovery with lived insight, ensuring that our research remains relevant, ethical and impactful.
How it works in practice
Tailored pairing
You are matched with one or more patients, survivors or caregivers whose experience or interests resonate with your research area.
Starting the dialogue
An initial conversation sets motivations, expectations, boundaries and goals for the partnership.
Ongoing collaboration
Activities may include reflecting on the societal and ethical relevance of your work, reviewing lay summaries or outreach materials, discussing how findings connect to real-world needs and co-developing ideas for proposals or engagement initiatives.
Structured support
Oncode Institute facilitates the process, provides guidance and ensures flexibility. Engagement is voluntary, yet designed to foster meaningful and ongoing collaboration that works for both sides.
Recognition and learning
We help researchers document how patient input shaped their work and connect them to a growing community of patient–researcher partnerships for cross-project learning and visibility.
Why join?
Researchers who participate report fresh perspectives, stronger proposals and renewed motivation. Patients feel valued and empowered, contributing directly to research that shapes the future of cancer care.
Interested in Joining?
Colette ten Hove
Colette ten Hove is a molecular biologist by training, with a specialization in developmental biology. Colette has broad experience in research, education, and coaching. In 2020, she joined Oncode Institute, where she drives its patient engagement programme, dedicated to incorporating the patient’s perspective into Oncode Institute and its research teams. She regularly lectures to educate researchers on how to involve patients in fundamental research and continuously looks out for new opportunities to connect and collaborate with other patient engagement initiatives, with the goal of building a patient engagement network in which (future) researchers, clinicians and cancer patients, their relatives and patient representatives can meet and learn from each other’s expertise and perspective. Additionally, Colette leads the training & mentoring programme at Oncode Institute.