Jai Prakash appointed Professor of Advanced Bioengineering and Therapeutics

Jai Prakash has been appointed as Professor of Advanced Bioengineering and Therapeutics at Radboudumc / Radboud University. Prakash specializes in cancer biology, nanotechnology and bio‑engineering, with a specific focus on the diagnostics and treatment of hard‑to‑treat cancers such as pancreatic cancer. With new methods, he aims to improve treatment outcomes in cancer patients.

For many forms of cancer, treatments have greatly improved in recent years, partly due to immunotherapy. For pancreatic cancer, this is not the case, says Jai Prakash, who has been affiliated with Radboudumc since September 2025. ‘For this disease, the five-year survival rate is about ten percent. This is because of the late diagnosis and poor response to chemotherapy while immunotherapy does not work at all.’

3D model for early diagnosis and effective treatment

Prakash aims to change this. With his appointment at Radboudumc, and with support from a KWF grant, he is launching two projects in the coming years. First, he will build advanced 3D models of tumors, what we call bio‑engineering. These are mini‑tumors created in the laboratory that closely resemble actual tumors in patients. This project focuses on early diagnostics, Prakash explains. ‘In fact, we do not know what a pancreatic tumor looks like in its earliest stages, because the diagnosis is made so late and therefore finding biomarkers at early stages is difficult. In the lab, we will use patient-derived tissues to try to replicate early tumors so that we can identify biomarkers associated with early-stage of pancreatic cancer using advanced protein analysis.’

In the second project, he investigates how targeted drug‑delivery technologies can be applied to increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer. Prakash is examining whether a specific treatment, consisting of hydrogel combined with chemotherapy, can reach the tumor more effectively with fewer side effects. He adds a peptide he developed himself, a type of building block designed to make the tumor more accessible. ‘We have tested this method in 3D models and in mouse models. We are now making plans to test this method in patients in a few years.’ This treatment is in the experimental phase and is not yet available for patients.

Finally, in 2024 Prakash received a major European grant, an ERC Advanced Grant, through which he and his team are working on new methods to make immunotherapy more suitable for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. His focus is on the modulation of the microenvironment in the surrounding tumor cells. In particular, he studies the dense tissue, the thick protective layer around tumors that blocks the entry of immunotherapy as well as immune cells into the tumor. Prakash: ‘We will use advanced microscopic technologies available at Radboudumc to visualize their entry into the tumor. By carefully modifying this layer, he aims to help the therapies and immune cells reach the tumor more effectively, potentially enabling immunotherapy to succeed.’

Career

Jai Prakash studied pharmacology in New Delhi, India, and earned his PhD at the University of Groningen, focusing on kidney fibrosis, scar tissue formation in the kidney’s blood vessels. He later continued working at University of Groningen and then at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, where he specialized in cancer therapy. In 2012, he established his research group at the University of Twente as assistant professor and became full professor in 2021 and worked until 2025. He then joined Radboudumc, where he continues his research in nanotechnology, bioengineering, and tumor microenvironment studies.

He also founded the NanoTME Society, which connects scientists, physicians, and companies worldwide to accelerate innovations in cancer research and nanotechnology. He has published extensively in international scientific journals, holds several patents, and advises various scientific organizations. His appointment as Professor of Advanced Bioengineering and Therapeutics begins on 1 February 2026 and is valid for a five-year period.

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