This thesis describes the development and immunological evaluation of two different cancer vaccination strategies for peptide-based personalized cancer vaccines. Both strategies, liposomal... Show moreThis thesis describes the development and immunological evaluation of two different cancer vaccination strategies for peptide-based personalized cancer vaccines. Both strategies, liposomal encapsulation and adjuvanting by direct conjugation to a TLR-ligand, are aimed to be readily combined with neoantigen-containing synthetic peptide sequences. In order to formulate such personalized cancer vaccines a flexible platform is required that can harbor a wide range of physiochemically different SPs, because multiple neoepitopes are uniquely expressed per patient. Upon formulation, the vaccination platform should be able to induce effective tumor-specific immune responses, which was evaluated in this thesis in in vitro and in vivo preclinical models. Show less
Maaden, K. van der; Heuts, J.; Camps, M.; Pontier, M.; Scheltinga, A.T. van; Jiskoot, W.; ... ; Bouwstra, J. 2018
In an epoch where every generation travels more frequently and at longer distances than the previous generation, with a mean increase of 30 million travellers per year from 1995 until today,... Show moreIn an epoch where every generation travels more frequently and at longer distances than the previous generation, with a mean increase of 30 million travellers per year from 1995 until today, physicians throughout the world are confronted with new diseases. In absolute numbers, this implies that each year, roughly 4 million travellers appeal to specialised health care, either abroad or at home, because of systemic febrile illness, diarrhoea or dermatologic disorders. During the last decades, travel medicine has evolved into a distinct discipline of Infectious Diseases, eventhough transmission of infectious agents into vulnerable populations through travel has been well know for centuries. Improvement of of protection against travel-related diseases can be achieved through knowledge on the following topics; 1. Epidemiology of travel-related diseases, 2. Morbidity and mortality of these illnesses in specific groups of travellers, 3. Adherence to travel health precautions, 4. Responsivity against vaccination, and 5. Availability of preventive measures, such as vaccines. The research described in this thesis addresses these various topics. Show less
