Drs. Sai ping Lau
Sai-Ping Lau began PhD research in Erasmus MC’s Department of Surgery in August 2017 under Professor Casper van Eijck and Professor Joachim Aerts. He studies the safety and effectiveness of dendritic cell therapy for people with pancreatic cancer. Working closely with colleagues at Leiden University Medical Centre, he gathered the laboratory evidence needed for ethical approval of the REACTIVe clinical trial, which was due to begin in 2019.
Dendritic cells are white blood cells that coordinate other parts of the immune system. Cancer can disrupt this response. In dendritic cell therapy, a patient’s cells are collected, multiplied and activated in the laboratory, where they are exposed to fragments of tumour tissue. After being returned to the patient, the dendritic cells teach killer T cells which cancer cells to attack.
The initial trial was designed for ten patients who had completed surgery and chemotherapy, with treatment and follow-up lasting two years. Other groups could be included in later studies once the approach had been evaluated in this first cohort.
Researchers monitor the immune system throughout treatment and evaluate interim findings without changing the agreed protocol. Once all participants have completed treatment, the results can show whether dendritic cell therapy produces a meaningful immune response and which side effects occur. Positive findings would support a larger follow-up study.
Sai-Ping’s project combines translational laboratory work with a clinical study, allowing the team to examine directly whether immunotherapy benefits patients and to assess the promise of this new treatment.
I hope the trial can soon make a difference for its participants by delaying further spread and preserving their quality of life. I do not expect us to cure the disease immediately, but the consortium can achieve a great deal over the next five to ten years. — Sai-Ping Lau.