Oncode has announced the appointment of Jan Paul Medema as new Scientific Director and Head of Oncode Institute, as of 1st of October, 2023. Prof. Medema has been an Oncode Investigator since the inception of the Institute and also contributed as a member of the Oncode Research Management Committee. He is currently Scientific Director of Cancer Center Amsterdam, Head of the Department at the Center of Experimental and Molecular Medicine (Amsterdam UMC) and Professor at the University of Amsterdam.
Prof. Medema is specialized in both the biology and the treatment of colon cancer. During his postdoctoral years at the German Cancer Center in Heidelberg, he worked on cell death induced by receptors on the cell surface. Later, as an assistant professor at the LUMC, he founded his own research group and was appointed associate professor. He then increasingly focused on mechanisms cancer cells use to escape cell death and resist therapy.
In 2005, Jan Paul Medema moved to the Academic Medical Center (now Amsterdam UMC) and established the laboratory of Experimental Oncology and Radiobiology (LEXOR). He became head of department and, in 2016, scientific director of Cancer Center Amsterdam. His LEXOR laboratory now houses multiple research teams that study cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, specifically colorectal, esophageal and pancreatic cancer. The aim is to understand the heterogeneity present within these cancers and between distinct cancer patients.
Prof. Jan Paul Medema: “Oncode Institute and its principles have been close to my heart from the start. With enthusiasm, I have tried to contribute to the goals of Oncode as an Oncode Investigator and member of the Research Management Committee. Right now, I feel absolutely privileged to take on the role of Scientific Director of this brilliant team of researchers and work closely with the enthusiastic Oncode team. My main goal will be to channel all that energy towards meeting the biggest and most exciting challenge, which is to show that we can truly valorize fundamental science for the benefit of patients. Keeping this promise will also give Oncode the recognition it deserves.”
“I’m thrilled to welcome Jan Paul to Oncode Institute’s Managing Board. I’m confident that with his expertise and commitment, we will continue to grow, accelerate breakthrough discoveries and speed up their translation into new diagnostics and treatments for cancer patients,” says Chris De Jonghe, Oncode Institute’s Valorization Director.
Prof. Medema succeeds Prof. Geert Kops who recently announced his appointment as Director of the Hubrecht Institute.
“I’m very happy to leave Oncode Institute in the excellent hands of the new Head of Institute, Jan Paul Medema. Jan Paul is a highly respected scientist who made his mark in various domains of cancer research. His passion for both basic and translational cancer research is a perfect fit for Oncode Institute, and I’m excited to see the impact he will have on achieving Oncode Institute’s goals” says Prof. Kops.
For more information, go to the Oncode Institute website, or contact Prof. Jan Paul Medema.