F. Dammeijer, MD, PhD

Cancer immunotherapies aim to generate novel or amplify existing anti-tumor immune responses in patients but still the majority does not respond durably for reasons incompletely understood. We and others have previously shown lymph nodes to be crucial sites for effective anti-tumor T-cell immunity following cancer immunotherapy. My current research focusses on understanding how exactly anti-tumor T-cell responses are generated, or alternatively, impeded in TDLNs of solid tumors. To this end, we employ state-of the art techniques (including multi-color flow cytometry, single-cell sequencing and imaging mass cytometry) and a wide range of preclinical models allowing us the visualize and interrogate TDLN function in lung cancer, mesothelioma, pancreatic cancer and melanoma. The goal of these studies in to identify novel biomarkers for treatment response and targets for effective combination therapy to improve quality of life and survival of cancer patients. 

After finishing my bachelor degree in medicine, I combined my master in medicine with the research master Infection & Immunity at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam. I continued as a PhD-candidate at the laboratory of Pulmonary Medicine headed by Prof. Rudi Hendriks and Prof. Joachim Aerts in collaboration with Prof. Thorbald van Hall (LUMC, Leiden). I studied modes of action and ways of improving dendritic cell therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy in preclinical models of mesothelioma and pancreatic cancer. I defended my thesis entitled ‘Improving Cancer Immunotherapy by Targeting the Tumor Macro-Environment’ in 2021 with honors and continued as a postdoctoral researcher at the department. I combine my research with clinical activities as a pulmonologist in training allowing for efficient and maximum ‘bench-to-bedside’ and ‘back to the bench’ type research. I have been awarded several prizes including best thesis in biomedicine EMC (2022) and in lung cancer research NL (Vera-Bonta award; 2022).

1. van Gulijk M, van Krimpen A, Schetters S, Eterman M, van Elsas M, Mankor J, Klaase L, de Bruijn M, van Nimwegen M, van Tienhoven T, van Ijcken W, Boon L, van der Schoot J, Verdoes M, Scheeren F, van der Burg SH, Lambrecht BN, Stadhouders R, Dammeijer F, Aerts J, van Hall T (2023). PD-L1 checkpoint blockade promotes regulatory T cell activity that underlies therapy resistance. Sci Immunol. May 19;8(83):eabn6173.
2. van Gulijk M, Belderbos B, Dumoulin D, Cornelissen R, Bezemer K, Klaase L, Dammeijer F, Aerts J (2023). Combination of PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibition and dendritic cell therapy in mice models and in patients with mesothelioma. Int J Cancer. 2023 152(7):1438-1443.
3. van Krimpen A, Gerretsen VIV, Mulder EEAP, van Gulijk M, van den Bosch TPP, von der Thüsen J, Grünhagen DJ, Verhoef C, Mustafa D, Aerts JG, Stadhouders R, Dammeijer F. (2022) Immune suppression in the tumor-draining lymph node corresponds with distant disease recurrence in patients with melanoma. Cancer Cell. 40(8):798-799.
4. Dammeijer F, van Gulijk M, Mulder EE, Lukkes M, Klaase L, van den Bosch T, van Nimwegen M, Lau SP, Latupeirissa K, Schetters S, van Kooyk Y, Boon L, Moyaart A, Mueller YM, Katsikis PD, Eggermont AM, Vroman H, Stadhouders R, Hendriks RW, Thüsen JV, Grünhagen DJ, Verhoef C, van Hall T, Aerts JG (2020). The PD-1/PD-L1-Checkpoint Restrains T cell Immunity in Tumor-Draining Lymph Nodes. Cancer Cell 38(5):685-700.
5. Lau SP, van Montfoort N, Kinderman P, Lukkes M, Klaase L, van Nimwegen M, van Gulijk M, Dumas J, Mustafa DAM, Lievense SLA, Groeneveldt C, Stadhouders R, Li Y, Stubbs A, Marijt KA, Vroman H, van der Burg SH, Aerts J, van Hall T, Dammeijer F*, van Eijck CHJ* (2020). Dendritic cell vaccination and CD40-agonist combination therapy licenses T cell-dependent antitumor immunity in a pancreatic carcinoma murine model. J Immunother Cancer. 8(2):e000772.
6. Dammeijer F, Lievense LA, Kaijen-Lambers ME, van Nimwegen M, Bezemer K, Hegmans JP, van Hall T, Hendriks RW, Aerts JG (2017). Depletion of Tumor-Associated Macrophages with a CSF-1R Kinase Inhibitor Enhances Antitumor Immunity and Survival Induced by DC Immunotherapy. Cancer Immunol Res. 5(7):535-546.
7. Dammeijer F, Lievense LA, Veerman GD, Hoogsteden HC, Hegmans JP, Arends LR, Aerts JG (2016). Efficacy of Tumor Vaccines and Cellular Immunotherapies in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Clin Oncol. 34(26):3204-12.

We have recently shown TDLNs to be critical for anti-PD-L1/PD-1 immunotherapy efficacy and informative in predicting patient prognosis. Current research focusses on the exact prerequisites underlying effective anti-tumor immunity in TDLNs and how the lymph node contexture relates to the tumor microenvironment. Furthermore, we are actively pursuing strategies to enhance TDLN-function with the aim of sensitizing immunotherapy-resistant tumors to treatment. We collaborate with several departments in the Erasmus MC including the Dept. of Surgical Oncology, Medical Oncology and Pathology, and with external teams inside The Netherlands (LUMC, Leiden) and outside (VIB-Gent, pharma, etc). For an impression of our work and available techniques find the selected publications below.

FIGURE 1 | The PD-1/PD-L1-checkpoint restrains T cell immunity in tumor-draining lymph nodes