Group leader: Prof.dr. Jan Hoeijmakers
Phone +31 (0)88 97 25266
Damage to our genome occurs continuously in every cell at a massive scale. DNA damage leads to mutations that drive carcinogenesis or triggers cell death and senescence causing functional decline and aging. Our main research focus is the interplay between DNA damage accumulation and repair in cancer (therapy) and (accelerated) aging and neurodegeneration. By studying molecular mechanisms up to patients we intend to obtain an integral understanding and derive rational-based effective strategies, including nutritional and pharmacological interventions which promote overall healthy aging and reduce severe long term side effects and improve quality of life in children cured from cancer.
"I am dedicated to curing children with cancer without loss of quality of life later" Prof. dr. Jan Hoeijmakers - Group leader
Grants and awards
- The use of organotypic tissue slices for assessing prevention against treatment-induced side-effects via nutritional preconditioning interventions – CoFund Butterfly (2023 – 2027) - News article
- Oncode Institute phase 2 (2023 – 2027) - News article
- MODEM: Mechanisms Of DEMentia (with Guus Smit, Elly Hol, Wiep Scheper, Bart Eggen, Rik van der Kant, Daniel van den Hove and others) - ZonMW Multidisciplinaire Consortia van het Onderzoeksprogramma Dementie (2023 – 2027) - News article
- CureQ: Predict, Delay & Cure polyglutamine (Q) caused neurodegeneration (with Eric Reits, Ineke Bolt, Rob Haselberg, Jurre Hageman, Jurjen Helmus, Harm Kampinga, Monique Mulder, Mayke Oosterloo, Willeke van Roon, Bart van Warrenburg, and Tsjerk Wassenaar) – NWO NWA-ORC (2022 – 2027)
- TC-NER: Transcription stress Counteracted by Nutritional interventions of Exceptional importance for rare DNA Repair disorders (with Vincent Laugel, Pier G. Mastroberardino, Umut Altunoglu, Akos Gyenis, Wim Vermeulen, and patient organization Amy and Friends) – European Joint Programme Rare Diseases (2021 – 2024)
- RedioDeal Foodvalley – Spoor 2 Gezonde voiding: van prille start tot oude dag (with Wim Tissing, Anne May, Ellen Kampman and others) – Rijksoverheid, Provincie Gelderland en Provincie Utrecht (2020 – 2024)
- Investigating the role of DNA repair mechanisms in the development of age-related podocyte malfunction and its consequence on key organs (with Tobias Huber, Oliver Kretz and Ketan Patel) – DFG (2020 – 2024)
- Understanding the pathogenicity of mutant Huntingtin conformations and their modulation by the chaperonin TRiC/CCT - Campagneteam Huntington (2020 – 2023)
- Nutritional prevention of dementia – ZonMW Memorabel (2018 – 2023)
- Muscle Ageing: Identification of Building Blocks, Biomarkers, and Strategies to Sustain Health – NWO Building Blocks of Life (2018 – 2022)
- Oncode Equipment Fund for Seahorse Cell Metabolism Technology - Measuring functional metabolism in pediatric oncology
Twinning program KiTZ
- Nutritional preconditioning to enhance chemotherapy efficacy and reduce toxicity in pediatric cancers – with Marcel Kool (KiTZ) (2021-2023)
Selection of Awards
- 2022: Oncode Investigator, renewal selection for five years
- 2021: Official recognition of the Erasmus MC clinical expertise center for Rare Genome Instability Disorders, a multi-disciplinary clinic for children with DNA repair syndromes, initiated by Jan Hoeijmakers
- 2020: Ammodo Research Team Award” to ‘Guardians and Caretakers of the Genome’ together with other members of the Erasmus Dept. Mol. Genet.
- 2019: “EMGS Award” of the Environmental Mutagenesis and Genetics Soc. (Washington DC)
- 2017: International Olav Thon Foundation personal Award
- 2016: NVHG Galjaard Prize of the Netherlands Society of Human Genetics
- 2016: Professor International Faculty, Cologne University (Cologne, Guest Professor)
- 2016: Selected for the Nobel-Forum lecture at the Karolinska Institute
- 2015: ERC PoC grant DEMENTIA European Research Council
- 2014: Consulted by the Nobel Committee for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for DNA repair (2014-2015)
- 2013: Royal distinction Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion for important scientific achievements in the area of cancer and aging research (2013).
- 2012: Mendel Medal on the occasion of the 190th anniversary of Mendel’s birth
- 2011: Academy Professor of the Royal Academy of Sciences of The Netherlands (KNAW), First Academy Professor new style in the broad domain of Beta sciences
- 2008: Seneca Medaille des Industrie-Clubs für Altensforschung Prize, for pioneering research on the molecular basis of aging (First awardee)
- 2001: ‘Josephine Nefkens Prize’ for cancer research
- 2000: Elected member of KNAW (section ‘Medicine’, dept. ‘Physics’)
- 2000: ‘EC-Descartes’ Award for European collaboration on DNA repair
- 1999: ‘Spinoza’ Prize, most recognized prize of the Dutch Science Organization
- 1995: The very prestigious 'Louis Jeantet' Prize for Medical Research in Europe for the entire work on DNA repair (Geneva, 1995)
- 1986: 'Snoo van t' Hoogerhuys' Prize (isolation of the first human DNA repair gene)
- 1983: 'Harold Quintus Bosz' Prize (for the discovery of the molecular mechanism of antigenic variation in trypanosomes, PhD thesis)
Key publications
Hoeijmakers, J.H.J. Genome maintenance mechanisms for preventing cancer. (2001) Nature 411:366-374 (most cited paper in molec. sciences from Dutch scientist in 2000-2010). PubMed PMID: 11357144
de Boer, J., Andressoo, J.O., de Wit, J., Huijmans, J., Beems, R.B., van Steeg, H., Weeda, G., van der Horst, G.T.J., van Leeuwen, W., Themmen, A.P.N., Meradji, M. and Hoeijmakers, J.H.J. Premature aging in mice deficient in DNA repair and transcription. (2002) Science (research article), 296:1276-1279. (see also Comments in Science, 296, 1250-1251, and in DNA Repair 2, 437-439). PubMed PMID: 11950998
Niedernhofer, L.J., Garinis, G.A., Raams, A., Lalai, S.A., Robinson, R.A., Appeldoorn, E., Odijk, H., Oostendorp, R., Ahmad, A., van Leeuwen, W., Theil, A., Vermeulen, W., van der Horst, G.T., Meinecke, P., Kleijer, W., Vijg, J., Jaspers, N.G.J., Hoeijmakers, J.H.J. A new progeriod syndrome reveals that genotoxic stress suppresses the somatotroph axis. (2006) Nature (research article) 444:1038-1043. (see also accompanying ‘News and Views’ Nature by Kirkwood). PubMed PMID: 17183314
Marteijn, J.A., Lans, H., Vermeulen, W. and Hoeijmakers J.H.J. Understanding nucleotide excision repair and its roles in cancer and ageing. (2014) Nature Rev Mol Cell Biol 15:465-481. PubMed PMID: 24954209
W.P., Dollé M.E.T., Reiling E., Jaarsma D., Payan-Gomez C, Bombardieri C.R., Wu H., Roks A.J.M., Botter S.M., van der Eerden B.C., Youssef S.A., Kuiper R.V., Nagarajah B., van Oostrom C.T., Brandt R.M.C., Barnhoorn S., Imholz S., Pennings J.L.A., de Bruin A., Gyenis Á., Pothof J, Vijg J, van Steeg H., and Hoeijmakers J.H.J. Restricted diet delays accelerated aging and genomic stress in DNA repair deficient mice. (2016) Nature 537:427-431 (see also accompanying Nature ‘News and Views’ of Oshima and Martin, p316-317). PubMed PMID: 27556946
Schumacher B, Pothof J, Vijg J, Hoeijmakers JHJ. The central role of DNA damage in the ageing process. (2021) Nature 592:695-703. Review. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03307-7. PubMed PMID: 33911272
de Boer, J., Andressoo, J.O., de Wit, J., Huijmans, J., Beems, R.B., van Steeg, H., Weeda, G., van der Horst, G.T.J., van Leeuwen, W., Themmen, A.P.N., Meradji, M. and Hoeijmakers, J.H.J. Premature aging in mice deficient in DNA repair and transcription. (2002) Science (research article), 296:1276-1279. (see also Comments in Science, 296, 1250-1251, and in DNA Repair 2, 437-439). PubMed PMID: 11950998
Niedernhofer, L.J., Garinis, G.A., Raams, A., Lalai, S.A., Robinson, R.A., Appeldoorn, E., Odijk, H., Oostendorp, R., Ahmad, A., van Leeuwen, W., Theil, A., Vermeulen, W., van der Horst, G.T., Meinecke, P., Kleijer, W., Vijg, J., Jaspers, N.G.J., Hoeijmakers, J.H.J. A new progeriod syndrome reveals that genotoxic stress suppresses the somatotroph axis. (2006) Nature (research article) 444:1038-1043. (see also accompanying ‘News and Views’ Nature by Kirkwood). PubMed PMID: 17183314
Marteijn, J.A., Lans, H., Vermeulen, W. and Hoeijmakers J.H.J. Understanding nucleotide excision repair and its roles in cancer and ageing. (2014) Nature Rev Mol Cell Biol 15:465-481. PubMed PMID: 24954209
W.P., Dollé M.E.T., Reiling E., Jaarsma D., Payan-Gomez C, Bombardieri C.R., Wu H., Roks A.J.M., Botter S.M., van der Eerden B.C., Youssef S.A., Kuiper R.V., Nagarajah B., van Oostrom C.T., Brandt R.M.C., Barnhoorn S., Imholz S., Pennings J.L.A., de Bruin A., Gyenis Á., Pothof J, Vijg J, van Steeg H., and Hoeijmakers J.H.J. Restricted diet delays accelerated aging and genomic stress in DNA repair deficient mice. (2016) Nature 537:427-431 (see also accompanying Nature ‘News and Views’ of Oshima and Martin, p316-317). PubMed PMID: 27556946
Schumacher B, Pothof J, Vijg J, Hoeijmakers JHJ. The central role of DNA damage in the ageing process. (2021) Nature 592:695-703. Review. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03307-7. PubMed PMID: 33911272
