Eline Bertrums

My research focusses on understanding the genesis of myeloid disorders, especially acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The projects I am, currently working on cover a variety of pediatric AML subgroups. Childhood cancer survivors suffer from an increased risk of therapy-related AML (t-AML), due to their (chemo)therapy exposure. To improve survival more knowledge on underlying etiology and thus risk factors are needed to make development of improved (preventive) therapies possible. We aim to increase our understanding of the mechanisms underlying this aggressive disease by whole genome sequencing of AML leukemic blast populations and matching single cell expanded ‘healthy’ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Potential causing therapies can be mimicked in the lab using cell lines or healthy cord blood HSPCs to evaluate the mutational signature they cause in the DNA.

Besides t-AML my research projects focus on different other pediatric AML subgroups, for example no known driver AML (AML without any clear driving aberrations) and extramedullary AML. For all of these different projects we collaborate with the clinical department of the Princess Máxima Center.