PhD candidate Vivien Veninga: “In immunotherapy, the immune system is utilized to recognize and eliminate tumor cells. We have observed remarkable results from these therapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, for some cancer types. However, the problem is that only a fraction of patients responds to the available treatments. This means that a better understanding of the underlying cellular mechanisms is crucial. One of our current challenges is studying the behavior of two unique entities: the tumor and the immune system. In my PhD research, I used personalized model systems to capture the interaction between anti-tumoral immune responses. I examined various types of immune cells in multiple projects, gaining a greater insight into the complexity of the immune system, which is truly fascinating. Being at the Netherlands Cancer Institute encouraged my scientific curiosity and made me want to translate my research findings into the real world. Together with the Entrepreneur Club, I organized events to encourage other PhD students and Postdocs to look beyond our daily lab work to think about ways to make an even greater impact. This is a very exciting time for the biotech industry, and I can't wait to get more involved.”
Vivien will defend her thesis on May 7.
This research was financially supported by Oncode Institute.
prof. dr. Emile E. Voest
Noel F. de Miranda