Specialization
Cellular glycosylation is a highly dynamic process that alters upon activation, inflammation, and oncogenic transformation. Although it has been known for decades that cell surface glycans are highly diverse, it is still unclear how glycan heterogeneity is established and how this impacts tumor cell biology and immune cell recognition.
During my cum laude PhD and postdoctoral years I studied the impact of glycosylation and glycan-binding receptors on dendritic cell biology and specialized in the field of glyco-immunology. I obtained a prestigious NWO-VENI grant in 2010 that allowed me to dissect the signaling properties of glycan-binding receptors. With grants from the Dutch Cancer Society, Cancer Center Amsterdam and European Marie Curie ITN network and NWO-ASPASIA, I have established her own independent research group that aims to unravel how tumor glycans affect tumor progression, metastasis and anti-tumor immunity.
Focus of research
Immunology, glycosylation, dendritic cells, glycan-binding receptors, anti-tumor immunity