How immune cells take on aggressive brain tumors in children

On Sunday, 18 October 2026, Hanne Verswyvel and Jonas Van Audenaerde will take on the Antwerp Marathon alongside more than 20 colleagues from CORE, the Centre for Oncology Research at the University of Antwerp. Through this initiative, the researchers aim to raise 15,000 euros to support their research into a new immunotherapy treatment for children with aggressive brain tumours. Every donation brings them one step closer to developing better treatments and creating a brighter future for these children. Read on to discover how your support can make a real difference. To learn more about their mission, we spoke with Hanne and Jonas, both postdoctoral researchers at CORE. Hanne leads the paediatric research team, while Jonas focuses on advancing innovative cancer therapies. 

Your research targets paediatric high-grade gliomas, one of the most challenging cancers in paediatric oncology. What makes them so difficult to treat? 

Hanne: “High-grade gliomas are among the most aggressive forms of cancer in children. These fast-growing tumours are difficult to treat because they respond poorly to existing therapies and are often resistant to treatment. Unfortunately, this results in a very poor prognosis, which is devastating not only for the young patients themselves but also for their families and loved ones. Fortunately, these tumours are rare. Each year, around 20 children in Belgium are diagnosed with this type of tumour. High-grade gliomas account for approximately 9% of all brain tumours in children and adolescents and are responsible for more than 40% of paediatric deaths caused by brain tumours, illustrating just how aggressive and lethal this disease can be.” 

Jonas: “In addition, many of these tumours are located deep within the brain, involve complex tissue structures, or are situated between the two cerebral hemispheres, making surgery extremely challenging. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy also produce insufficient results in many cases. For a large number of patients, we still do not have a treatment that offers a realistic prospect of a cure.” 

What exactly does your research focus on? 

Hanne: “We are developing a new cell therapy that aims to target brain tumours much more precisely than current treatments. Cell therapy is essentially a living medicine. We use immune cells, specifically Natural Killer cells, or NK cells, obtained from the blood of healthy donors. In the laboratory, we can strengthen and optimise these cells so that they are better able to recognise and destroy cancer cells. Our goal is to maintain the highest possible quality of life for the children undergoing treatment. The therapy is administered locally through a minor surgical procedure to the head. One major advantage is that the immune system is activated directly at the tumour site, resulting in fewer side effects elsewhere in the body.” 

Jonas: “The treatment we are developing not only attacks the tumour itself but also activates the patient’s own immune system to join the fight. That is a key difference from chemotherapy. Chemotherapy often works like a cannon, affecting both cancerous and healthy cells. Immunotherapy allows us to work much more precisely and spare healthy tissue.”  

Why did you choose the Antwerp Marathon as a fundraising event? 

Hanne: “For us, this is a unique opportunity to make researchers more visible and approachable to the general public. Scientific research often takes place behind the scenes, while many people have questions about what we do. That is why we will be wearing T-shirts with the slogan‘Ask Us A Question’. We want to encourage conversations about cancer research and its impact.” 

Jonas: “As scientists, we believe it is important to explain what we do and why our research matters. We work with resources entrusted to us by others, and transparency is part of that responsibility. By participating in the marathon, we want to demonstrate that we are accessible and eager to engage with the public about our work. Fundraising is also essential, of course. Scientific research is expensive.” 

You hope to raise an additional 15,000 euros for your research. What will this amount allow you to do? 

Jonas: “This funding will enable us to bring our ideas from theory into practice in the laboratory. It will help us purchase laboratory materials, study tumour cells, isolate immune cells and develop new research models.” 

Hanne: “Fifteen thousand euros may seem modest compared with the overall cost of cancer research, but for us it is a substantial and achievable amount. It will allow us to fund an important first development phase of a new cell-based treatment.”  

What would a real breakthrough look like for you? 

Hanne: “At the moment, we have obtained promising laboratory results. We are seeing that our cell therapy can selectively target and destroy cancer cells. For the most aggressive tumours, life expectancy can sometimes be measured in only a few months. Extending that prognosis alone would represent a major step forward.” 

Jonas: “However, laboratory results are only the first step. The progress achieved in immunotherapy over the past decade gives us confidence that meaningful change is possible. We still need to validate these findings in more advanced models and ultimately through clinical trials. Only then will we know how safe and effective the treatment is for young patients. Ultimately, we hope for even more: to halt tumour growth completely or perhaps even eliminate the tumours altogether. A treatment that makes genuine cures possible would be an extraordinary breakthrough for these children and their families.”  

Why is support from the wider public so important? 

Jonas: “Research is partly funded through public resources, but this is not enough to cover all costs. Additional support helps us make progress faster.” 

Hanne: “Many people feel personally connected when it comes to childhood cancer. Every contribution makes a difference. Whether it is ten euros, one hundred euros or more, every donation helps move our research forward.”  

Where do you hope to be in five years’ time? 

Jonas: “Five years is a realistic timeframe for moving from the laboratory to clinical application. By then, we hope to have gathered sufficient evidence to show that our therapy is not only effective but also safe enough to be used in patients.”