prof. dr. F.A.E. (Frank ) Kruyt
Research interests
Curriculum vitae prof. dr. F.A.E. Kruyt
FAEK did his PhD research in the field of developmental biology at the Hubrecht Laboratory, University of Utrecht, studying the molecular mechanism underlying retinoic acid-induced differentiation of embryonal carcinoma cells. His postdoctoral research was aimed at cloning and elucidating the function of genes in particular in relation to the activation of apoptosis in the genomic instability and cancer prone disorder Fanconi Anemia at the VU University in Amsterdam and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Tx, USA. Back in the Netherlands, joining the department of Medical Oncology at the VUMC, Amsterdam, he applied his knowledge obtained in molecular biology and genetics in the field of oncology research and explored the possible use of the Fanconi Anemia pathway as a potential target for developing anti-cancer therapy employing dominant negative approaches in gene therapeutic strategies. At the same time research in the field of experimental oncology was further extended, focussing on apoptosis-inducing strategies as experimental treatments for solid tumors, in particular lung cancer, and mechanisms of cell death regulation were explored also using proteomic and kinomic strategies. Currently at the UMCG in Groningen, recognizing the importance of cellular heterogeneity within tumors and the high plasticity of tumor cells, his lab has developed cancer stem cell – tumor microenvironment interaction models, particularly for studying highly malignant brain tumors (glioblastoma) in order to identify key molecular mechanisms that may be exploited for developing novel therapeutic strategies.
Memberships to scientific committees, editorial boards
FAEK is currently active member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the international Society for Neuro-Oncology and was former member of the American Society of Gene Therapy (ASGT) and member of European Cell Death Organisation (ECDO). He is member of the editorial board of several international Journals, Apoptosis (Springer, USA), an International Journal on Programmed Cell Death, Editor-in-Chief: M. Sluyser, Biochemical Pharmacology (Elsevier, Amsterdam), Editor-in-chief: S.J. Enna and Frontiers in Molecular and Cellular Oncology (2011), Chief Editors L. Galluzi and G. Kroemer. He is a frequent reviewer for various international journals, including Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer research, Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, Oncogene, Human and Molecular Genetics, Molecular Therapy, Cancer Letters, Cancer Gene Therapy, Apoptosis, Biochemical Pharmacology, Future Oncology, DNA and Cell biology, Molecular Pharmacology, Cellular Oncology, Plos One, JCMS, Oncotarget, etc; and for (inter)national grants such as Dutch Cancer Society (KWF), NWO (VIDI grants), Israel Binational Science Foundation, Juludan price (Israel), Wellcome Trust UK etc.
Management and Teaching
FAEK is a PI (h-index 55) and member of the program Damage and repair in cancer development and treatment (DARE), one of the four programs of the Cancer Research Centre Groningen (CRCG), part of the Graduate School of Medical Sciences (GSMS) in which research is organized within the UMCG. He has obtained various awards and grants from national and international agencies. He is chairing the weekly oncology research meeting. During has career he has been member of various management boards and stirring committees including Micro-array facility, Onco-proteomics laboratory, siRNA laboratory, Flow cytometry facility and member of internal project review boards and animal experiment review board (DEC) and was co-chair of the research program Pharmacology. He has been examiner and member of (inter)national phd thesis committees and is active both as coordinator and teacher of various courses in curricula of Biomedical sciences, including coordinator of the Cancer and immunology track, and Medicine.
Selected publications:
- Peñaranda-Fajardo NM, Meijer C, Liang Y, Dijkstra BM, Aguirre-Gamboa R, den Dunnen WFA, Kruyt FA. (2019) ER stress and UPR activation in glioblastoma: identification of a noncanonical PERK mechanism regulating GBM stem cells through SOX2 modulation. Cell Death Dis. 10(10):690. doi: 10.1038/s41419-019-1934-1.
-Joseph JV, Conroy S, Pavlov K, Sontakke P, Tomar T, Eggens-Meijer E, Balasubramaniyan V, Wagemakers M, den Dunnen WF, Kruyt FA. (2015) Hypoxia enhances migration and invasion in glioblastoma by promoting a mesenchymal shift mediated by the HIF1α-ZEB1 axis. Cancer Lett. 359(1):107-16.
-Joseph JV, Conroy S, Tomar T, Eggens-Meijer E, Bhat K, Copray S, Walenkamp AM, Boddeke E, Balasubramanyian V, Wagemakers M, den Dunnen WF, Kruyt FA. (2014) TGF-β is an inducer of ZEB1-dependent mesenchymal transdifferentiation in glioblastoma that is associated with tumor invasion. Cell Death Dis. 5:e1443.
-Azijli K, Birgit Weyenmeyer, Godefridus J. Peters, Steven de Jong, Kruyt FA (2013). Non-canonical kinase signaling by the death ligand TRAIL in cancer cells: discord in the death receptor family. Cell Death and Differentiation 109: 2685-95.
-Bröker LE, Huisman C, Span SW, Rodriguez JA, Kruyt FA*, Giaccone G*(2004). Cathepsin B mediates caspase-independent cell death induced by microtubule stabilizing agents in non-small cell lung cancer cells. Cancer Res 64:27-30.
-Kruyt FA and Youssoufian H. (1998). The Fanconi anemia proteins FAA and FAC function in different cellular compartments to protect against cross-linking agent cytotoxicity. Blood 92: 2229-2237.
-Lo Ten Foe JR, Rooimans MA, Bosnoyan-Collins L, Alon N, Wijker M, Parker L, Lightfoot J, Carreau M, Callen DF, Savoia A, Cheng NC, van Berkel CGM, Strunk HP, Gille JJP, Pals G, Kruyt FA, Pronk JC, Arwert F, Buchwald M, Joenje H. (1996). Expression cloning of a cDNA for the major Fanconi anemia gene, FAA. Nature Genet 14:320-323.