TOLERANCE is a forward-thinking bioengineering program that pursues the bold ambition to develop and evaluate innovative nanomedicines for organ transplantation. Central to the TOLERANCE mission are (i) novel nanomedicine-based immunotherapeutics, (ii) targeting the immune system to induce tolerance, and (iii) creating a bridge between biomedical engineers at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and clinicians/immunologists at the Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc). Since TOLERANCE’s start in 2022, we recruited and put together a team of talented PhD students and an assistant professor (Dr. Roy van der Meel) to work under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Willem Mulder. As per design, the different TOLERANCE investigators closely collaborate and work at both institutions. From their respective expertise, ranging from nanotechnology to nuclear medicine and in vivo imaging, the team members contribute to the TOLERANCE objectives. Through Mulder’s network in the USA and to efficiently kickstart the program, members have paid several visits to Mulder’s former Mount Sinai lab and his collaborators. These efforts resulted in the near completion of three extensive in vivo studies in a heart transplant mouse model. At the same time, in collaboration with RNA expert van der Meel, Mulder and the TOLERANCE team developed novel proprietary delivery technology. The delivery technology, referred to as the aNP platform, is inspired by the human body’s lipoprotein trafficking system. The first two papers about the aNP platform have been published, while several manuscripts are currently being prepared. Importantly, seven patent applications have been filed, which are being prosecuted by BioTrip, a biotech incubator that Mulder founded and in which TU/e, Radboudumc, biotech specialists work together to develop a trajectory for clinical translation. The work that Mulder, van der Meel and their team have done has not gone unnoticed. For example, Mulder and team members prominently featured in the BNNVARA documentary series “Leven naast de dood”, while van der Meel gave a TEDx talk. As per the TOLERANCE mission, its trainees are flourishing, as exemplified by their productivity and the dozen awards that they have won.
