Eliminating cancer with light

For many patients with head and neck cancer, surgery is the primary treatment. It is often effective, but it can have life-changing consequences. A person’s appearance may be affected, and speaking, swallowing, and eating may become more difficult. People also often face lasting side effects after radiation and chemotherapy.

“As a surgeon, I see every day how much impact our treatments can have on patients’ lives,” she says. Remco de Bree He is the project leader of the new patient study and Professor of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at UMC Utrecht. “We have made great strides, but there is still a need for treatments that are less burdensome and at the same time highly effective.”

Hopefully, the new therapy will become one of those less invasive ways to treat head and neck cancer. The Dutch Cancer Society (KWF Kankerbestrijding) is investing no less than over 4.5 million euros to finance the patient study and part of the production of the drug.

Preventing major surgeries

The innovative drug was developed by researchers from Utrecht University and biotech start-up. Lumox It consists of small, targeted proteins, known as ‘nanobodies’, that recognize and seek out cancer cells. A light-sensitive drug is coupled to these proteins.

The medication is activated by means of a special lamp, allowing doctors and researchers to precisely control where and when it becomes active. Researchers at Utrecht University have worked on the new medication for about ten years, with support from KWF and Alpe d’Huzes.

The research group of Sabrina Santos Oliveira laid the foundation for the new treatment. Two researchers from Utrecht University, Irati Beltrán Hernández and Sebas Pronk They subsequently took up the challenge to bring the medicine to patients faster. To this end, they founded the biotech company Lumox, a spin-off of Utrecht University.

“Our approach with nanobodies makes it possible to very selectively destroy cancer cells and spare healthy tissue,” says Sebas. It is a very promising treatment because it allows invasive surgeries to be avoided, and the patient can recover faster with fewer side effects.

Medicines from llamas

A striking element of the new treatment comes from an unexpected source. The so-called nanobodies on which the drug is based were originally discovered in the blood of llamas. Researchers use them because they are much smaller and therefore particularly well-suited to finding their way to tumor cells.

“Due to its small size, the drug can penetrate deep into the tumor,” Sebas explains. “This ensures that the drug can also be active in the core of the tumor. This is something that does not happen well with many existing therapies using larger antibodies (proteins that help fight diseases – ed.). So, bigger is not always better.”

Irati adds: “Our goal is to target cancer as precisely as possible. By activating the drug only where the tumor is located, we maintain much more control over the treatment.”

This needs to go to patients

Sebas’ colleague Irati knows the new drug inside out: “I have been researching this therapy for about ten years. In the beginning, it was still very fundamental, in the laboratory. But by now, we have successfully tested it on animals.”

Irati then saw that the animals were fortunately able to eat again very soon after the treatment. A sign that the approach causes little further damage.

“When I saw how specific and powerful the treatment could target tumors, I immediately thought: this shouldn’t just end up in a scientific article,” adds Sebas. “This needs to reach patients. There are many wonderful discoveries that never reach the patient. We wanted to make sure that this wouldn’t be one of them.”

Utrecht collaboration

Academic researchers, physicians, and entrepreneurs are joining forces in the patient study. UMC Utrecht is conducting the clinical study and guiding the patients. Lumox develops and produces the drug being tested in the study. The study investigates the safety, applicability, and dosage in patients with head and neck cancer.

According to Sebas, this collaboration is essential: patient studies require enormous investments. “KWF funding alone is not sufficient for this. That is why we established a spin-off in the form of Lumox. This enables us to attract the necessary external investments.”

Also with other types of cancer

Initially, the new treatment is intended for people with head and neck cancer, for example, tumors in the oral cavity. But if this new approach works, the researchers want to take it a step further and apply the treatment to more types of cancer.

Remco can’t wait for the time to come: “As a surgeon, I see patients every day, so I also see what can still be improved. As a researcher, I can do something about that. That makes the combination of research and patient care very motivating. At the same time, it also makes me impatient: I want patients to benefit from progress. The fact that KWF is investing in this project is a huge step forward!”