Cancer Research Center Groningen

Proton therapy is an innovative form of radiation therapy in which healthy tissue in the vicinity of tumors receives a lower radiation and remains more intact. At the UMCG, we conduct research on this technique and since 2018  we offer treatment to patients. By using this technique and evaluating results, we hope to reduce unintended adverse side effects in normal tissue and improve quality of life.

We are part of an existensive international collaboration to further develop and automate treatment methods. Within this project, we and our European partners will set up a training network for a new generation of proton therapy researchers.

We can learn a lot from our patients. That is why we ask them to join OncoLifeS. OncoLifeS is a UMCG biobank, in which data, bodily materials and quality of life assessments of cancer patients are stored and used for UMCG cancer research. Until October 2020, already over 5200 patients volunteered to join OncoLifeS.

By linking routine clinical data with preserved biological specimens and quality of life assessments, our OncoLifeS researchers help develop better treatments for our cancer patients to have a better quality of life after cancer.

OncoLifeS biobank

Patient information (Dutch)

Results from our research are translated as quickly as possible into improvements in diagnostics and treatment. To prevent harmful effects of treatments, we are also performing research in cancer survivors. In this way specialist care in the cancer center is possible

We collaborate intensively with national and international university medical centers in Europe, the US and Canada.

We improve patient selection and uncover mechanism of drug action.

New cellular therapies like CAR-T cells, CAR-NK cells, and CAR-macrophages are in full development. Furthermore, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is one of the cornerstones of leukemia treatment.

Besides cellular therapies, targeted molecular therapy is an important focus area. Several small molecule inhibitors have emerged or are being developed. These compounds target directly mutations, downstream signaling networks, or cellular processes such as apoptosis, DNA repair, the epigenome or the metabolism of cancer cells.