Our Focus
New models to improve immunotherapy
We developed co-culture models to study immune-tumour interactions in individual patients and to generate a better understanding of which tumours are recognized by immune cells. These models are now used to determine the role of a variety of immune cells in response to the secretome of tumors and the metabolites produced by the microbiome.
Genomic-guided personalized medicine
We created a platform, coined the Drug Rediscovery Protocol (DRUP), to identify early signals of activity in well-defined cohorts of cancer patients. In this multi-pharma, multi-drug, national multi-centre study we facilitate access for patients to approved medication based on a genomic profile coupled to a tumour type. We also started the DRUG Access Protocol (DAP) to facilitate systematic data collections of patients treated with the newest drugs.
Understanding the tumour microbiome
The role of the microbiome is well established but it is unclear how the microbiome affects treatment outcome. By employing unique data sets we are now dissecting the dynamics of the microbiome in metastases and the relative contributions of bacteria and their metabolites to tumour progression and treatment response.
About Emile Voest
Emile Voest
My Research
Emile Voest is medical director of the Netherlands Cancer Institute, senior scientist of the Oncode Institute, medical oncologist and translational scientist. In addition to his clinical and managerial responsibilities he is leading his own research group. His laboratory group is devoted to bringing personalized medicine to patients and is focused on mechanistic studies and identification of biomarkers that predict treatment efficacy. The results from these studies are subsequently translated in clinical studies. These translational approaches are performed across tumor types with emphasis on epithelial tumors.
His research is in the area of personalized medicine consists of large scale genomic sequencing of patients with metastatic cancer, the development of primary cultures of tumors for ex vivo testing (including tumor organoids) and the use of these cultures to improve drug development and to determine which treatment is best for a specific patient.
Selected publications 2022
Natasja L. de Vries1,2*, Joris van de Haar3,4,5*, Vivien Veninga3,4*, Myriam Chalabi3,6,7*, Marieke E. Ijsselsteijn1, Manon van der Ploeg1, Jitske van den Bulk1, Dina Ruano1, Jose G. van den Berg8, John B. Haanen3,7, Laurien J. Zeverijn3,4, Birgit S. Geurts3,4, Gijs F. de Wit3,4, Thomas W. Battaglia3,4, Hans Gelderblom9, Henk M.W. Verheul10, Ton N. Schumacher3,4,11, Lodewyk F.A. Wessels4,5,12, Frits Koning2#, Noel F.C.C. de Miranda1#, Emile E. Voest3,4# Gamma delta T cells are effectors of immune checkpoint blockade in mismatch repair-deficient colon cancers with antigen presentation defects. Nature, 2022 in press
Chiara M. Cattaneo1,2,3, Thomas Battaglia1,2,‡, Jos Urbanus1,2,‡, Ziva Moravec1, Rhianne Voogd1, Rosa de Groot4, Koen Hartemink5, John B.A.G. Haanen1,6, Emile E. Voest1,2,6,#, Ton N. Schumacher1,2,#,*, and Wouter Scheper1,#,* Identification of patient-specific T cell neoantigens through HLA-unbiased genetic screens. Nature Biotechnology, 2022, in press
L.J. Zeverijn*1,2, S. Barjesteh van Waalwijk van Doorn-Khosrovani*3, A. Pisters-van Roy3, L. Timmers4, T.H.L. Tran4, J.E. de Boer4, G.F. de Wit1,2, B.S. Geurts1,2, H. Gelderblom5, H.M.W. Verheul6, N. Blijlevens7, A.N.M. Wymenga8, F.A.L.M. Eskens9, E.F. Smit10,11, H.J. Bloemendal6, E.E. Voest1,2Harmonising patient-access programmes: the Dutch DRUG Access Platform. Lancet Oncology2022, Feb;23(2):198-201.
L.R. Hoes1,2, J.M. van Berge Henegouwen2,3, H. van der Wijngaart2,4, L.J. Zeverijn1,2, D.L. van der Velden1, J. van de Haar1,2,5, P. Roepman6, W.W.J. de Leng7, A.M.L. Jansen7, E. van Werkhoven8, V. van der Noort8, A.D.R. Huitema9,10’11 , E.H. Gort12, J.W.B. de Groot13, E.D. Kerver14, D.J. de Groot15, F. Erdkamp16, L.V. Beerepoot17, M.P. Hendriks18, E.F. Smit19, W.T.A. van der Graaf20, C.M.L. van Herpen21, M. Labots3, A. Hoeben22, H. Morreau23, M.P. Lolkema24,26, E. Cuppen2,6,25, H. Gelderblom3, H.M.W. Verheul21, E.E. Voest1,2,26 Genomics –Guided Treatment of Patients With Rare Cancers in the Drug Rediscovery Protocol (DRUP). Clin Cancer Res 2022, 28(7):1402-1411
Luuk J. Schipper, Laurien J. Zeverijn, Mathew J. Garnett, Emile E. Voest Can drug repurposing accelerate precision oncology? Cancer Discovery, 2022, June 1
Joaquin Mateo1†, Lotte Steuten2,3†, Philippe Aftimos4, Fabrice André5, Mark Davies6, Elena Garralda1, Jan Geissler7, Don Husereau8, Iciar Martinez-Lopez9, Nicola Normanno10, Jorge S. Reis-Filho11, Stephen Stefani12, David M. Thomas13, C. Benedikt Westphalen14,15 and Emile Voest16,17* Delivering precision oncology to cancer patients. Nature Medicine, 2022, 28(4):658-665
Members
| Emile Voest Oncode Investigator | Agnieszka Andres Technician | Allard van Renterghem Clinial PhD |
| Catherine Toner-Bartelds PhD Student | Iris Mimpen Phd student | Joris van de Haar Postdoc |
| Joyce Catsman Technician | Karlijn Verkerk Phd student | Krijn Dijkstra Postdoc |
| Maartje Witsen Phd student | Marije Kuiken PhD Student | Miguel Parra Martinez Bioinformatician |
| Minh Chau Luong Boi Research Technician | Paula van Royen PhD Student | Theodoros Foskolos Bioinformatician |
| Xuhui Ma Postdoctoral fellow |