RNA medicines open new ways to turn the immune system against cancer. This thesis develops apolipoprotein nanoparticles, inspired by the ‘good cholesterol’ in our blood, that deliver a signaling molecule of the immune system in the form of RNA. The particles carry this message straight to the lymph nodes and the spleen, the places where the body organizes its attack on cancer. In cancer mouse models, this targeted delivery triggered a powerful immune response and reduced tumor growth, while harmful side-effects stayed limited. This thesis then discusses what the step toward the first patients still demands: proof of long-lasting, cancer-specific immunity and a careful balance between effect and safety. In this way, the work connects a promising laboratory technology with a concrete route to new treatments for people with cancer.
Tom Anbergen (1996) obtained his Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering, specializing in Precision Medicine, from Eindhoven University of Technology. In 2021, he started his PhD research at the Department of Internal Medicine of Radboud university medical center, focusing on RNA therapeutics, nanomedicine and cancer immunology. Currently, he works at biotech startup Trained Therapeutix Discovery (TTxD) on clinical development of a nanomedicine platform.