Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht (UMC Utrecht)
University Medical Center Utrecht
In the UMC Utrecht, research is concentrated in six programs (cardiovascular health, personalized cancer care, child health, infection & immunity, regenerative medicine and brain) with each a limited number of disease targets. Patient care is integrated in these programs. A multidisciplinary approach guarantees patients benefit from the latest available expertise and innovative technological solutions. Interaction with patients and society creates an ‘innovation loop’ where societal issues guide scientific research and where scientific results quickly move from bench to bedside. Societal stakeholders are involved in all research phases, from prioritizing research questions to evaluating impact. The Nanomedicine laboratory @ University Medical Center Utrecht (www.nanomedicinelab.eu) is interested in biological and synthetic nanoparticles for diagnosis and therapy. Within this consortium we focus on the enabling role of nanoparticles in the delivery of nucleic acids: we formulate synthetic and natural nanoparticles using microfluidics assembly and perform the basic characterization steps as quality control for in vitro and in vivo experiments.
I obtained my PhD degree from Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands. My thesis focused on liposomal targeting of antimicrobial agents. From 2000-2011, I worked at the dept Pharmaceutics of Utrecht University working on polymers, micelles and liposomes, loaded with small molecular weight drugs as well as biologicals, targeting a variety of diseases. Within this period, I spent 2002-2003 working for Intradigm Co. (USA) on formulations for in vivo targeting of siRNA. In 2007, I obtained a Vidi grant from NWO to start my own research line, in 2009 I received the Galenus Research Award for my drug delivery work and in 2010 was awarded an ERC Starting Grant (consolidator phase) to investigate extracellular vesicles for drug delivery. In 2011, I moved to University Medical Center Utrecht where I complement my research lines on drug targeting with investigations on nanoparticles in diagnostic applications.
Currently I am coordinating the H2020 project B-SMART on targeting RNA to the brain and national HighTech Systems Materials project (Targeting of multiple myeloma)/KWF-STW Technology for Oncology (Targeting glioblastoma)/NWO-CW Launchpad for Innovative Future Technologies (Innovative diagnostics for glioblastoma). In addition I particpate in several EU and national projects on nanomedicine.
I obtained my PhD degree from the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands. My doctoral research focused on the development of novel carrier systems for siRNA delivery to tumor vasculature. In 2011, I started as a postdoctoral researcher at the University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands, to work on extracellular vesicle-inspired drug delivery systems (Schiffelers lab). In 2012, I was awarded a Rubicon fellowship from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) to join the Wood lab at the University of Oxford, UK, to study the use of extracellular vesicles for small RNA delivery to tumors. In 2014, I returned to the Schiffelers lab and was awarded a Veni fellowship from NWO to study the mechanisms involved in extracellular vesicle uptake and processing by target cells.