PhD

Liver metastasis is a lethal state for multiple cancer types, and, to date, no cure is available against it. To develop effective therapies, the biological processes underlying the infiltration of cancer cells in the liver to possibly establish metastases must be elucidated. However, the lack of accurate models of the liver anatomy has been a limiting factor to determine which parameters direct the fate of circulating tumour cells (CTC) in the liver. In this project, we aim at identifying which factors are essential in this process, and more specifically, how CTCs trigger a cascade of events in the liver sinusoid favouring metastases. To this end, we will build an advanced human liver sinusoid model, in the form of an organ-on-a-chip (OoC) platform, that incorporates all essential structural, cellular, and functional features of this organ.

This project is a joined endeavour of Erasmus MC and University of Twente allying complementary expertise. The project is funded by NWO. At both institutions a PhD student will be working on the various aspects of the project. At Erasmus MC, we will focus on the liver metastasis biology using high-end molecular analyses while UTwente will be focus on the engineering aspects and the development of the OoC model. The project has shared and parallel tasks that require a close partnership between the PhD students. Joint meetings will be organized on a regular basis between the two institutions.