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Researcher

J.L. Boormans, MD PhD

Associate professor of Urology

  • Department
  • Urology
  • Focus area
  • Urology
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About

Introduction

I am Urologist, senior staff member and associate professor at the Erasmus MC Cancer Institute.

My research focus is urothelial cancer. I am involved in a variety of ongoing clinical and translational studies. I supervise 4 PhD students and 1 PostDoc in the field of clinical and translational research in GU cancers.

Field(s) of expertise

My expertise is pelvic and retroperitoneal malignancies. My research focus is urothelial cancer. I perform both robotic and open surgery.

I am currently involved in a variety of ongoing translational clinical studies in urothelial cancer. I am a board member of the Dutch Uro Oncology Study Group (www.stichtingduos.nl) which is a collaborative network of 25 hospitals in the Netherlands and board member of the Dutch Bladder Cancer Infrastructure.

Education and career

I recieved my medical degree at the University of Utrecht and obtained the US medical licensing step I and II in 2001. I specialized in Urology (2004 - 2009). After obtaining my PhD in 2011 I joined the staf of urology at Erasmus MC.

I continued my career at the Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, formerly known as the Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center. In 2019, I was appointed an associate professorship in oncological urology.


Recent Findings 

Previous studies in the lab have shown that autologous dendritic cells pulsed with allogenic tumor cell lysate was able to induce peripheral T cell activation and tumor-reactive T cell responses in patients with mesothelioma and pancreatic cancer. Current research focuses on how to initiate an effective immune response in the tumor as well as the tumor-draining lymph node using dendritic cell vaccination. Furthermore, we are studying novel approaches for (personalized) vaccination. In addition, we have identified T cell characteristics that underlie clinical efficacy of immune check inhibitors or chemotherapeutic agents in mesothelioma. The selected publications below give an impression of our work. 

Teaching activities

On a yearly basis I give lectures to medical students, residents-in-training and nursing staff.

Other positions

  • Board member of DUOS
  • Board member of Erasmus MC Cancer Institute
  • Board member of ProBCi

Scholarships, grants, and awards

Period

(from – to)

Funding source and project code

Own share of grant (€)

Total grant (€)

Project title

Role of PI*

2013-2017

Mrace grant, 103824

150,000.-

150,000.-

Identification of muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients who will not benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy using circulating tumor cells

Principal investigator

2017-2020

KWF, 10319

440,000.-

440,000.-

REduce BlAdder CAncer REcurrences after Nephro-Ureterectomy

Principal investigator

2018-2019

DUOS

15,000.-

15,000.-

The clonal relation of upper tract urothelial carcinoma and paired urothelial carcinoma of the bladder

Principal investigator

2019-2022

ERA-NET, JTC-2017-8349

320,000.-

960,000.-

MOLecular ChARacterization of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma

Principal investigator, leader of the consortium

2019-2022

ZonMW, 80-84300-98-18572

 

401,000.-

Comparative effectiveness of bladder sparing treatment versus radical surgery

Co-PI

2019-2020

DUOS

5,000.-

5,000.-

Pathology revision of metastatic lesions of urothelial carcinoma in addition to WGS

Principal investigator

2020 - 2023

KWF, 12432

110,000.-

448,322.-

The accuracy of detecting residual disease following neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with

muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Co-PI

My Groups

My research focusses on risk stratification and precision medicine of urothelial carcinoma.

I am leading a multicentre study (CirGuidance study) on circulating tumour cells to guide neoadjuvant chemotherapy in bladder cancer patients. I am supervising a PhD student who is developing gene expression profiles of this patient cohort (N=320) together with a diagnostic company in order to improve risk stratification of bladder cancer patients. I am also supervising a PhD student as part of another multicentre study on the efficacy of a preoperative intravesical instillation before radical nephro-ureterectomy in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (REBACARE study), of which I am the lead investigator.

Furthermore, I am leading a European consortium for the molecular characterization of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (MOLCARUTUC consortium), as well as national collaboration on whole genome and transcriptome sequencing data of 100+ urothelial carcinoma metastases together with Hartwig Medical Foundation. In collaboration with the department of Medical Oncology, I am co-supervising a PhD student who runs a biomarker discover study to predict response to pembrolizumab (RESPONDER study).

Lastly, I am co-PI of the Pre-Prevencys study (granted by KWF) to conduct a prospective trial on clinical response prediction to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients undergoing radical cystectomy.