Dutch Scientists Use the Body's Own Delivery System to Target Deadly Tumors with Genetic Medicine
Eindhoven, Friday, 12 June 2026.
Researchers at TU/e and Radboudumc have developed a nanoparticle platform that hijacks the body’s natural transport system to deliver RNA medicines precisely to diseased cells — offering new hope for children with inoperable brainstem tumors.
A Platform Built on the Body’s Own Logic
The innovation in question is a medical technology breakthrough — specifically a nanomedicine platform with direct implications for the treatment of cancer and rare genetic disorders. Announced on June 11, 2026, the research was led by Associate Professor Roy van der Meel and Full Professor Willem Mulder, both based at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, in close collaboration with Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc) [1][2]. The platform they developed is called the apolipoprotein nanoparticle platform, or aNP for short, and it represents a significant departure from conventional drug delivery methods [1].
How the Technology Actually Works
The mechanism behind the aNP platform draws on one of biology’s most refined logistics systems. The human body naturally uses extracellular vesicles and lipoprotein particles to ferry molecules between cells [1][2]. By engineering nanoparticles that mimic this system — using the body’s own lipids and proteins as the outer shell — the researchers have created a vehicle that is both biocompatible and highly targeted [1]. The RNA payload, whether it encodes a therapeutic protein, a cancer vaccine antigen, or a gene-editing instruction, is encapsulated inside this natural-looking shell and directed toward specific immune cells or stem cells [1][2].
The Human Story Behind the Science: The Wies Alliance
Behind every scientific milestone, there is often a deeply personal story. In this case, that story belongs to a child named Wies Janssen, the young son of Paul Janssen, who died from brainstem cancer [1][2]. His death catalyzed the formation of the Wies Alliance — a formal research partnership between TU/e, Radboudumc, and the Princess Máxima Center — established specifically to accelerate immunotherapy research for pediatric brain tumors [1][2]. The alliance is now one of the institutional pillars supporting the translation of the aNP platform from the laboratory into clinical applications targeted at some of the most devastating and currently untreatable childhood cancers [1][2].
From Lab Bench to Clinic: BioTrip and the Road Ahead
Translating a laboratory nanotechnology prototype into a clinical medicine is rarely straightforward, and the TU/e and Radboudumc teams have built an institutional mechanism to manage that transition. Professor Willem Mulder founded BioTrip, a biotech incubator specifically designed to bridge the gap between academic nanomedicine research and clinical patient applications, by bringing together researchers, investors, and pharmaceutical companies [1][2]. BioTrip is positioned as the commercial and translational engine that could carry aNP-based therapies through the stages of development required before they can be administered to patients [1][2].