The Grootjans Lab
The Grootjans Lab studies the interplay between the immune system and gastrointestinal cancers.
The lab has three major research lines:
1. Understanding how immune cell alterations in the background of chronic intestinal inflammation (inflammatory bowel disease) favor the development of colorectal cancer;
2. Finding novel immunomodulatory treatment targets for difficult-to-treat cancers such as peritoneal metastasized disease, by better understanding the tumor immune environment;
3. Uncovering the mechanisms driving immune-related adverse events of currently used immune-activating therapies (immune checkpoint inhibitors).
Recent News
Explore the latest updates from our lab.
New publication in Nature Communications
In our latest publication in Nature Communications, we show that peritoneal resident macrophages define a metastatic site-specific immunosuppressive niche, and that targeting these peritoneal resident macrophages is a promising treatment strategy for peritoneal...
A new paper in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
A collaborative project with the group of Dr. Sarah Derks resulted in this publication in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. This paper shows that gastric cancer (GC)-derived peritoneal metastases often contain immature tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), which...
A new paper in Frontiers Immunology
A new paper from our group has been published in Frontiers in Immunology. The paper demonstrates that T cell responses in peritoneal metastasized colorectal cancer (PM-CRC) in a humanized immune system mouse model mirror those in human PM-CRC. This makes the model...
Institute Amsterdam UMC
The Amsterdam UMC, location AMC, houses the university hospital and the medical faculty of the University of Amsterdam, as well as several research institutes, including the Tytgat Institute for Liver and Intestinal Research.
The Tytgat Institute within the AMC houses fundamental and translational research in the field of hepatology and gastroenterology. Research at the Tytgat Institute is fundamental but usually built on a clinical question, aiming to provide results that can be translated into clinical practice. Extensive collaboration between physicians and researchers ensures a close link between the clinic and basic research. Similarly, multiple long-lasting public-private partnerships have evolved demonstrating that our research is easily exploited.
Research lines include metabolic and cholestatic liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, microbiome, and early-life nutrition. The institute has a strong involvement in the curriculum of Biomedical Sciences, and Medical School teaching programs. Read mo
Publications
Recent and selected publications. For an overview of all publications please visit the PubMed website. See below for our highlighted publications.
Mapping the complexity and diversity of tertiary lymphoid structures in primary and peritoneal metastatic gastric cancer
Groen-van Schooten TS, Franco Fernandez R, van Grieken NCT, Bos EN, Seidel J, Saris J, Martínez-Ciarpaglini C, Fleitas TC, Thommen DS, de Gruijl TD, Grootjans J, Derks S.J Immunother Cancer. 2024 Jul 1;12(7):e009243. doi: 10.1136/jitc-2024-009243. Read more
T-cell responses in colorectal peritoneal metastases are recapitulated in a humanized immune system mouse model
Saris J, Bootsma S, Verhoeff J, Tuynman JB, Wildenberg ME, Rijnstra ES, Lenos KJ, Garcia Vallejo JJ, Vermeulen L, Grootjans J. Front Immunol. 2024 Jul 9;15:1415457. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1415457. eCollection 2024. Read more
Peritoneal resident macrophages constitute an immunosuppressive environment in peritoneal metastasized colorectal cancer
Saris J, Li Yim AYF, Bootsma S, Lenos KJ, Franco Fernandez R, Khan HN, Verhoeff J, Poel D, Mrzlikar NM, Xiong L, Schijven MP, van Grieken NCT, Kranenburg O, Wildenberg ME, Logiantara A, Jongerius C, Garcia Vallejo JJ, Gisbertz SS, Derks S, Tuynman JB, D'Haens GRAM,...
Funded by
The Grootjans Lab conducts research in the fields of gastroenterology and immunology with a focus on gastrointestinal cancers and immune-related diseases.
The research is generously funded by the following sponsors.