The Luxembourg Cancer Foundation (Fondation Cancer) finances a research project that will drive knowledge forward in the field of cancer radiotherapy. Radiation oncologist Dr Jean-Philippe Nesseler received a postgraduate fellowship to carry out research at the University of California, Los Angeles, US, in collaboration with the NorLux Neuro-Oncology Laboratory at LIH’s Department of Oncology and the National Centre of Radiotherapy/Centre François Baclesse (CFB).

On 14^th September 2016, Dr Nesseler was handed over a cheque of 122,160 Euro by Dr Carlo Bock, President of the Cancer Foundation and Lucienne Thommes, Director of the Cancer Foundation, in the presence of Dr Michel Nathan, President of CFB, Dr Michel Untereiner, Director of CFB, Dr Philippe Nickers, radiation oncologist at CFB, and Prof Simone Niclou of LIH’s NorLux Neuro-Oncology Laboratory. The fellowship will allow the promising young researcher to investigate the immunomodulatory effects of radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy is a good candidate for combinatorial immunotherapy strategies to fight cancer and has well-established immunomodulatory effects. The goal of the research project is to better understand the influence of ionising radiation on immune cells, tumour response and inflammation of healthy tissue. Different radiotherapy protocols and combinatorial treatments with immunotherapeutic agents will be tested in order to find the best strategy to block immunosuppressive cells and obtain an optimal anti-tumour response.

The research project will be conducted over two years starting from January 2017 in the Department of Radiation Oncology of the University of California under the supervision of Prof WH McBride, an international expert in the field radiotherapy and immunomodulation. “The project idea originated from a newly initiated collaboration between LIH and CFB”, tells Prof Simone Niclou, Head of the NorLux Neuro-Oncology Laboratory. “If successful, it may continue at LIH afterwards with a more specific focus on brain tumours.”