Michel Zwaan was trained at the VU University medical center in Amsterdam and was registered as a pediatric oncologist in 1999. His PhD focused on drug resistance in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and was defended cum laude in 2003 at the VU Medical Center in Amsterdam. After working as a consultant pediatric oncologist in Amsterdam in 2005 he moved to Erasmus MC-Sophia Children’s Hospital in Rotterdam and focused on translational research on myeloid malignancies and early drug development. From 2008 onwards he was appointed as associate professor, and in 2014 as ‘professor of pediatric oncology, with emphasis on drug development’ at Erasmus MC. From 2014 to 2018 he headed the Pediatric Oncology/Hematology department in Rotterdam before moving to the Princess Máxima Center in Utrecht, where he is appointed as principal investigator for Drug Development/Experimental Therapeutics and head of the Trial and Data Center. He also chairs the Clinical Research Committee at the Princess Máxima Center. He is a member of the Executive Board of ITCC and chair of the New Agents committee of the I-BFM study group.
During these years he guided several PhD-students:
Co-promotor
- 06-07-2007 Bianca Goemans. New horizons in the characterization and treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. VUmc, Amsterdam.
- 25-05-2011 Brian Balgobind. Unravelling MLL-rearranged pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.
- 16-11-2011 Iris Hollink. Molecular genetic insights in cytogenetically normal pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.
- 21-11-2012 Andrica de Vries. Molecular determinants of JMML and childhood MDS. Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.
- 26-06-2013 Eva Coenen. Genetic heterogeneity of MLL gene rearrangements in pediatric AML: identification of new markers with biological and clinical relevance. Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.
- 06-11-2013 Marjolein Blink. Clinical Relevance of Genetic Alterations in Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Children with Down syndrome. Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.
- 02-07-2014 Trudy Buitenkamp. Clinical Relevance of Genetic Alterations in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Children with Down syndrome. Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.
- 17-06-2015 Jenny Katsman-Kuipers. Altered gene and MiRNA regulation in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia. Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.
Promotor
- 14-06-2016 Jasmijn de Rooij. Molecular genetic aberrations and their prognostic relevance in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia. Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.
- 11-01-2022 Sebastiaan Sassen. Pharmacologist. Towards precision dosing in pediatric oncology. Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.
- 27-09-2022 Priscilla Wander. Identification of therapeutic options for high-risk pediatric acute leukemia: a high-throughput screening approach. Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.
- 13-10-2022 Laura Nijstad. Pharmacological dose optimization in children with cancer. 2nd promotor (1st promotor Alwin Huitema), UMCU, Utrecht.
- 09-11-2022 Sanne Noort. Pediatric AML, a heterogeneous fusion-gene driven disease. Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.
- 21-12-2022 Eline Zijtregtop. Clinical Applicability of Biomarkers in Diagnosis and Treatment of Pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma. Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.
- 12-09-2023 Erica Brivio. Pediatric leukemia: new treatment opportunities and supportive care studies. Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.
- 14-11-2023 Eline Bertrums. The clonal dynamics underlying the genesis and regression of myeloid disorders. Erasmus MC, Rotterdam. Awarded cum laude.
- 01-02-2024 Jessica Heijdra. Individualizing tretment in patients with von Willebrand disease - one size does not fit all. Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.
- 11-06-2024 Edoardo Pennesi. Early phase drug development studies in pediatric leukemia. Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.
- 02-10-2024 Naomi Michels. Down syndrome ALL and beyond. Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.
- 08-04-2025 Maithe Houwing. From crescent to full moon; The promise of better patient outcomes for sickle cell disease. 1st promotor (2nd promotor Prof J Hazelzet, co-promotor M. Cnossen), Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.
- 10-04-2025 Romy van Weelderen. Improving survival of childhood acute myeloid leukemia through global collaborative research efforts. 2nd promotor (1st promotor Prof dr GJL Kaspers), Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam