Distinguished Lecturer Seminar Series
Thijn Brummelkamp - Netherlands Cancer Institute
Time: 11:00
Location: Main Auditorium
Host: D. Odom
Titel: Genetics in Human Cells to identify ‘Alternative Pathways
About:
Thijn Brummelkamp is Director of Research at the Netherlands Cancer Institute with a research interest in the fields of cell and cancer biology. He is known for pioneering technologies such as short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) and the development of haploid human cells as a genetic model system. Brummelkamp studied biology at the Free University of Amsterdam and conducted his Ph.D. research at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, earning his doctorate from Utrecht University. He then joined the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, USA, as a Whitehead Fellow, where he established his independent research laboratory. In 2011, he returned to the Netherlands Cancer Institute as a group leader and co-founded the biotech companies Haplogen and Scenic Biotech. He currently holds appointments as a group leader at the Oncode Institute and as Professor of Experimental Genetics at Utrecht University. Brummelkamp was named one of MIT Technology Review’s Top 35 Innovators Under 35 in 2005, received the Kimmel Scholar Award in 2006, and was awarded the EMBO Gold Medal in 2013. Brummelkamp is also a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW)
Research Interests:
Thijn Brummelkamp uses genetics in human cells to identify genes important for human disease. During his Ph.D. studies, Brummelkamp developed a system for expressing shRNA molecules, which allowed for long-term gene inhibition. He used this to carry out the first RNA interference-based screen in human cells, revealing the function of the CYLD tumor suppressor gene. His lab later developped haploid human cells as a genetic model system, using this approach to discover host factors for pathogens, such as the cholesterol transporter NPC1 as the long-sought entry receptor for the Ebola virus. More recently, he has applied haploid genetics to uncover missing enzymes and alternative cellular pathways, leading to the discovery of the elusive enzyme crucial for mature actin production, an alternative triglyceride synthesis pathway, and a pathway that explains DNA damage-induced cancer cell death in the absence of p53.