Two TU Delft/Erasmus MC master student projects supported with 2,5k
In April, the Academic Centre of Excellence ‘Tumor Immunology and Immune Therapy’ of Erasmus MC (ACE TI-IT) organized its third annual symposium, and for the second time, members of Delft Bioengineering Institute (BEI) were invited to present topics regarding TU Delft technology. During a networking session, PIs from both institutes looked for collaborators and were stimulated to propose a joint MSc graduation project. Following submission and evaluation, two proposals were awarded with €2500 by Erasmus MC’s ACE TI-IT and TU Delft’s BEI.
We are looking forward to seeing the students graduate on the exciting projects listed below. The next edition of the ACE TI-IT/BEI symposium will take place on 16 and 17 March 2023: please mark your calendar if you are interested in joining this fruitful initiative!
MSc Graduation Project | Supervisor(s) TUD | Supervisor(s) EMC |
Do changes in macrophage-induced mitochondrial metabolism of cancer cells drive liver metastasis? | Duncan McMillan | Franziska Linke, Wytske van Weerden |
Minimally invasive sentinel lymph node biopsy medical device | John van den Dobbelsteen | Dirk Grünhagen, Astrid van der Veldt |
Cell interaction during liver metastasis
Liver metastasis is thought to originate from circulating tumor cells, such as prostate tumor cells that adhere to the liver endothelium and invade to the liver parenchyma. Pilot results from 3D co-cultures suggest that prostate tumor cells undergo a metabolic switch once they are in contact with Kupffer cells, which according to the researchers may affect the behavior of Kupffer cells from ‘gate-keeper’ to ’metastasis promotor’. In this project, under the supervision of Franziska Linke and Wytske van Weerden of Erasmus MC and Duncan McMillan of TU Delft, a master student will explore whether a mitochondrial switch can be identified as an early hallmark of prostate tumor-Kupffer cell interaction during liver metastasis. Outcomes are expected to provide new understanding on how metabolomics in prostate tumor cells and Kupffer cells affect the early stages of liver metastasis.
Project: Do changes in macrophage-induced mitochondrial metabolism of cancer cells drive liver metastasis?
Supervisors: Franziska Linke and Wytske van Weerden (EMC), Duncan McMillan (TU Delft)
Student: to be recruited
Developing a new medical device to safely collect lymph nodes
Melanoma patients standardly undergo sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) to assess whether there are distant metastases and whether further therapy will be effective. This procedure, however, produces side effects and needs to be performed under general anaesthesia. In this project, under the supervision of Dirk Grünhagen and Astrid van der Veldt of Erasmus MC, and John van den Dobbelsteen of TU Delft, a master student will explore whether a minimally invasive biopsy medical device can be made that lowers the risk for morbidities and can be performed under local anaesthesia. If successful, this new device may provide a significant improvement regarding the collection of lymph nodes.
Project: Minimally invasive sentinel lymph node biopsy medical device
Supervisors: Dirk Grünhagen and Astrid van der Veldt (EMC), John van den Dobbelsteen (TU Delft)
Student: to be recruited