PI
Specialization

Focus of research

My main research interest is in the development of new PET tracers to be used in clinical research and drug development and in addition development of radiochemistry needed for these new PET tracers. During my career I have brought >60 PET tracers into clinical research. My research is supported with many grants from EU, IMI, national and international funds in total > 50 M€. I am coordinator of Immune-Image a large European consortium using PET tracers to unveil immune cell dynamics (23 partners, 30 M€, Immune-Image), and I have been work-package leader in 3 EU FP6/7 consortia and 2 MSCA-ITN projects.

I obtained my PhD in radiopharmaceutical chemistry in 1998 with Prof.dr Henk Timmerman, after which I started a post-doc at the lab which I am currently leading, Tracer Center Amsterdam at the Amsterdam UMC Imaging center, part of the department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine of Amsterdam UMC. In 2002 I was at Uppsala PET center (Sweden) for a sabbatical and in 2014 appointed Professor of radiopharmaceutical chemistry. Tracer Center Amsterdam is regarded by my colleagues as one of the world leading labs for PET tracer development.

recent Grant news: ERC Synergy grant for research on dormant malaria parasites