Derk Amsen has been awarded a grant of the Dutch Cancer Society

Sanquin Researcher prof. Derk Amsen has been awarded a grant of nearly 1 million Euro of the Dutch Cancer Society (KWF Kankerbestrijding) to counter exhaustion of CD8 T cells in tumors. These immune cells play a vital role in fighting cancer and are harnessed in immunotherapy. Amsen’s research may eventually lead to more potent adoptive T cell therapies against solid tumors and better survival rates for patients.

Immunotherapy using T cells is promising for treatment of cancer, but many patients are still not cured. An important hurdle is that T cells often lose their ability to kill cancer cells when they are inside the tumor. Understanding how this process is regulated will yield novel avenues to maintain anti-tumor responses and thereby obtain better therapeutic efficacy.

Amsen will study the role CD4 T helper cells in maintaining CD8 T cells functionally active inside tumor tissues and unravel the molecular pathways involved, with a focus on the Notch receptors. He will also investigate whether activation via Notch synergizes with checkpoint inhibition therapies.

This video of the Netherlands Cancer Institute beautifully explains the importance of T cells in immunotherapy, and shows the role of checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of cancer patients. Derk Amsen’s research aims to strengthen this type of immunotherapy and possibly other forms of adoptive T cell therapy, such as Til therapy.