C.W.F. (Casper) van Eijck, TP, PhD

Casper W.F. van Eijck is a Technical Physician and Principal Investigator (postdoctoral researcher) at Erasmus MC. His work bridges clinical oncology, immunology, and medical technology, focusing on translating innovative immunotherapeutic strategies into patient-centered care. With a background in Technical Medicine and a PhD in pancreatic cancer immunology, he combines engineering principles with clinical research to accelerate precision oncology.

His research centers on developing and clinically implementing immunotherapeutic approaches for pancreatic cancer, including personalized neoantigen-based peptide vaccines, dendritic cell therapy, and novel metabolic and innate immune modulators. Through translational immuno-oncology and biomarker research, he aims to improve early diagnosis, patient stratification, and treatment efficacy in solid tumors.

• Pancreatic Cancer
• Cancer Immunotherapy
• Translational Immuno-Oncology
• Personalized Medicine
• Biomarker Research

Casper W.F. van Eijck obtained his BSc (2018) and MSc in Technical Medicine (2024) from TU Delft, Erasmus MC, and LUMC. This interdisciplinary program combines engineering and clinical practice, training Technical Physicians to translate technological innovation directly into patient. To strengthen his clinical and pharmacological expertise, he completed a pre-MSc in Medicine (2022) at the LUMC. In 2024, he obtained his PhD at Erasmus MC with the thesis entitled “Innovate to Elevate Pancreatic Cancer Care: Immunity Leading the Way in Precision Medicine.” His doctoral research aimed to translate immunological insights into novel therapies and biomarkers that improve outcomes and quality of life for patients with pancreatic cancer. His research was recognized with the John Howard & Franco Mosca Pancreas Club Award (2022),  and two research grants from the Prof. Michael-van Vloten Fund and the Living With Hope Fund. These enabled a visiting PhD period at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) in Madrid (2022–2023). He is currently a principal investigator within the Solid Tumor Immunology Research Rotterdam (STRIRR) group led by Prof. Dr. Joachim Aerts at Erasmus MC. His research focuses on innovative immunotherapeutic strategies for solid tumors combined with translational biomarker research to improve diagnosis and treatment efficacy. In parallel, he works as a Technical Physician at Erasmus MC, bridging technology and patient-centered oncology care.

Link to Doctoral Thesis:
https://pure.eur.nl/en/publications/innovate-to-elevate-pancreatic-cancer-care-immunity-leading-the-w/

Complete overview PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=van%20Eijck%2C%20CWF%5BAuthor%5D%20OR%20van%20Eijck%2C%20Casper%20WF%5BAuthor%5D&sort=pubdate

1. Comparing short- and long-term survivors in metastatic pancreatic cancer: Insights into patient and disease profiles impacting systemic therapy outcomes. Graus MUJE, van Diepen AE, Broekman T, van Eijck CWF, et al. Eur J Cancer. 2026 Jan 29;236:116263. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2026.116263.
2. Thromboembolic Events During Perioperative Therapy for Resectable and Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Cancer in the PREOPANC-2 Trial. Willems RAL, van Diepen AE, Dekker EN, Janssen QP, van Dam JL, Michiels N, van Eijck CWF, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2026 Jan 29:JCO2501935. doi: 10.1200/JCO-25-01935.
3. REACtiVe-2: phase I evaluation of dendritic cell vaccination and agonistic CD40 therapy following (m)FOLFIRINOX in metastatic pancreatic cancer. Kucukcelebi S, van 't Land FR, van der Burg SH, Eskens FALM, Homs MYV, Willemsen M, Onrust-van Schoonhoven A, Rozendaal NEM, Fellah A, Vadgama D, Moskie M, Bezemer K, Doukas M, van Eijck CWF, et al. Nat Commun. 2025 Nov 28;16(1):10609. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-66092-1. 
4. Immunogenicity and safety of COVID-19 vaccines in patients with pancreatic cancer. Wismans LV, de Vries RD, van Eijck CWF, et al. HPB (Oxford). 2025 May;27(5):716-722. doi: 10.1016/j.hpb.2025.02.002. Epub 2025 Feb 17.
5.  The tumor immune microenvironment in resected treatment-naïve pancreatic cancer patients with long-term survival. van Eijck CWF, Ju J, van 't Land FR, et al. Pancreatology. 2024 Nov;24(7):1057-1065. doi: 10.1016/j.pan.2024.08.014. Epub 2024 Aug 22.
6. Rintatolimod in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer Enhances Antitumor Immunity through Dendritic Cell-Mediated T-Cell Responses. van Eijck CWF, Haddaoui HE, Kucukcelebi S, et al. Clin Cancer Res. 2024 Aug 15;30(16):3447-3458. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-23-4085.
7. Metformin boosts antitumor immunity and improves prognosis in upfront resected pancreatic cancer: an observational study. van Eijck CWF, Vadgama D, van Eijck CHJ, et al. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2024 Aug 1;116(8):1374-1383. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djae070.
8. GATA6 identifies an immune-enriched phenotype linked to favorable outcomes in patients with pancreatic cancer undergoing upfront surgery. van Eijck CWF, Real FX, Malats N, et al. Cell Rep Med. 2024 May 21;5(5):101557. doi: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101557. Epub 2024 May 10.
9. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is associated with suppression of the B-cell-centered immune landscape in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Rupp L, Dietsche I, Kießler M, Sommer U, Muckenhuber A, Steiger K, van Eijck CWF, et al. Front Immunol. 2024 Apr 2;15:1378190. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1378190.
10. A liquid biomarker signature of inflammatory proteins accurately predicts early pancreatic cancer progression during FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy. van Eijck CWF, Sabroso-Lasa S, Strijk GJ, et al. Neoplasia. 2024 Mar;49:100975. doi: 10.1016/j.neo.2024.100975. Epub 2024 Feb 9.
11. Enhanced antitumour immunity following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy mediates a favourable prognosis in women with resected pancreatic cancer. van Eijck CWF, Mustafa DAM, Vadgama D, et al. Gut. 2024 Jan 5;73(2):311-324. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2023-330480.
12. FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy modulates the peripheral immune landscape in pancreatic cancer: Implications for combination therapies and early response prediction. van Eijck CWF, Strijk G, Vietsch EE, et al. Eur J Cancer. 2024 Jan;196:113440. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2023.113440. Epub 2023 Nov 17.
13. Rintatolimod: a potential treatment in patients with pancreatic cancer expressing Toll-like receptor 3. Haddaoui HE, van Eijck CW, Doukas M, et al. Am J Cancer Res. 2023 Jun 15;13(6):2657-2669.
14. Analyzing Flow Cytometry or Targeted Gene Expression Data Influences Clinical Discoveries-Profiling Blood Samples of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Patients. de Koning W, van Eijck CWF, van der Sijde F, et al. Cancers (Basel). 2023 Aug 31;15(17):4349. doi: 10.3390/cancers15174349.
15. A multigene circulating biomarker to predict the lack of FOLFIRINOX response after a single cycle in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. van Eijck CWF, de Koning W, van der Sijde F, et al. Eur J Cancer. 2023 Mar;181:119-134. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.12.024. Epub 2022 Dec 28.

Co-promotor of PhD candidates Leonoor V. Wismans, MD, PhD (completed 2025), Songul Kucukcelebi, MD (final year), and Hidde Linsen, MD (first year).

• 2025 – Present General Manager, NeOncoFRAx (Personalised Neoantigen Cancer Vaccines)
• 2025 – Present Scientific Immunology Coordinator, PEPPER Therapeutics
• 2023 – Present Liaison Officer, Survival with Pancreatic Cancer Foundation 
  
   

• John Howard & Franco Mosca Pancreas Club Award (2022) – Awarded for translational immune-oncology research in pancreatic cancer.
• Prof. Michael-van Vloten Fund Research Grant (2022) – Awarded to support a visiting PhD fellowship at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid.
• Living With Hope Fund Research Grant (2023) – Awarded to support a visiting PhD fellowship at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid.
• Charity Fund Grant (2024) – Awarded for the development of a personalised neoantigen peptide-based vaccine for pancreatic cancer.
• Survival with Pancreatic Cancer Foundation Grant (2024) – Awarded to support immunomonitoring research within the DURIPANC phase I/II trial.
• KWF Dutch Cancer Society Funding (2024) – Awarded to the project team to conduct the PREOPANC-5 phase I/II trial.
• Survival with Pancreatic Cancer Foundation Grant (2024) – Awarded to support immunomonitoring research within the PREOPANC-5 phase I/II trial.
• KWF Dutch Cancer Society Funding (2025) – Awarded to the project team to conduct the PREOPANC-6 phase III RCT.
• UNIIQ Finance for the Future supporting early-phase therapeutic development (2026) – Awarded to support Phenformin product development for Pepper Therapeutics