During a fundraising event organized by the Rotterdam Fund Racers, money was raised to support cancer research. I am extremely proud and honored to have been selected again as one of the research goals supported by this fundraiser, and to receive €33,000 generated through the generous donations of participants and supporters, all in the spirit of advancing cancer treatment and care.

Together with additional funding received this year, these resources will support our research program aimed at specifically targeting tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) within tumors.

Despite major advances in cancer treatment, including immunotherapy, many patients still die from cancers such as lung cancer. There is therefore a pressing need for therapies that act more precisely at the site where anti-tumor immune responses are generated. TLS are particularly attractive in this regard: their presence in lung tumors is associated with improved survival and better responses to therapy. Rather than broadly stimulating the immune system throughout the body—which can lead to systemic side effects—we aim to selectively target TLS within the tumor microenvironment.

Using lipid nanoparticles as a delivery platform, we will develop approaches to direct immune-modulating signals specifically to these intratumoral immune structures. By focusing treatment at the site of relevance, this strategy aims to enhance local anti-tumor immunity while limiting unwanted systemic effects. In parallel, we will use single-cell RNA sequencing and complementary approaches to further define the cellular composition and functional organization of TLS, providing the mechanistic foundation for these targeted therapeutic strategies.