Erasmus Universitair Medisch Centrum Rotterdam

Short Name: ERASMUS

Country: NL

Website: www.erasmusmc.nl

Organization description:

The Department of Pathology of the Erasmus MC, includes a large team of pathologists, molecular diagnostics, biomedical scientists, research technicians and managerial personnel who join forces to implement and improve high standards of diagnostic pathology and experimental research breast, brain, colon and urogenital cancers. The major part of the research is dedicated to cancer research embedded within the Erasmus MC, which is the largest academic medical center in the Netherlands with over 13,000 personnel. Erasmus MC has a large experience in setting up large contracts with companies concerning innovative equipment through tenders through a very active procurement board supported by an experienced purchase and juridical department.

Expertise:

The Molecular diagnostic unit of the department of Pathology performs over 3000 diagnostic NGS cases per year, with over 600 NGS determinations on ccfDNA. It has a strong regional function in molecular diagnostics for the peripheral hospitals even for hospitals abroad. A large array of complex molecular techniques is performed where for NGS 17 different panels are used where custom made panels and TMB’s are included. Research is performed to increase the diagnostic performance and tests Molecular Diagnostics can provide. Current main focuses: molecular diagnostics of adult and childhood brain tumors, application of cfDNA analysis for lung cancer treatment and follow-up, and tumor tissue-based BRCA diagnostics. The tissue bank has been part of the SPIDIA and is part of the SPIDIA-4P project and has knowledge regarding the pre- analytical phase of diagnostics and useful infrastructure that can be used for this project. EMC coordinated the successful European biobanking project “The European Human Frozen Tumor Tissue Bank” or TuBaFrost. Extensive experience has been acquired with International Biobanking including standardisation, access rules, network database applications, ethics and law. Standardisation work continued in the SIPIA project, where the pre-analytical phase of sample collection was deepened. This was the basis to become NEN commissioner and take part in CEN/TC140 WG3 and ISO/TC212 WG4 and write standards for the pre-analytical phase diagnostic sampling. In addition, the group was participant in several European projects with a focus on biobanking (EurocanPlatform, BBMRI. The group has published high-impact journal articles regarding issues surrounding biobanking, including regarding regulatory and ethical issues on the exchange of residual tissue for research across Europe (See main publications). In SPIDIA-4P the Erasmus MC is leading the ELSI WP and supports all WP’s in their activities.

Facilities:

4000 m2 of laboratories and research facilities, NGS, Sanger sequence analysis, Mutation-specific PCR, MSI analysis, Allelotyping, (MS-)MLPA, Methylation-specific PCR, SNaPshot analysis, Methylation array, ISH, Nanostring, laser aided micro dissection (PALM), virtual microscopy (Hamamtsu Nanozoomer), automated tissue micro arrayer (Grandmaster), affymetrix platform, tissue biobank, cell culture, animal house, and flow-sorting facilities, together with fully operational genomics and proteomics appliances, and in vivo high-resolution imaging and microscopy.

Other European projects:

 

  • EurocanPlatform
  • BIOPOOL
  • TuBaFrost
  • EuroBoNeT
  • BBMRI
  • SPIDIA
  • SPIDIA-4P

Role in the project:

Erasmus MC is participating as WP4 lead implementing the contract using the experience of the purchase and juridical departments for the contracts. In addition the coordination of the meetings and events. Erasmus MC is involved with NGS expert in WP1,2,3,4 to go through the different phases and modules to the end product. Takes part in the stakeholder engagement and dissemination of the project results and education of WP5. Ethics and rule including data privacy and security in WP6 is also supported by Erasmus MC expertise as well as the development of the specifics NGS requirements in standardization requirments is supported by Erasmus MC NEN commissioner and representative of the Netherlands as member of ISO/TC212 and CEN/TC140 mirror committee.

Key personnel:

Prof. W.N.M. Dinjens: Head Molecular Diagnostics

Dr H.J. Dubbink: Head laboratory molecular diagnostics

Dr. P.H.J. Riegman: Molecular biologist Head Erasmus MC Tissue Bank, NEN commissioner, PSI UMC Coordinator Erasmus MC, ESBB Former President, ISBER Former President

 

Main publications and awards:

Publications:

Virchows Arch. 2019 Mar 19. doi: 10.1007/s00428-019-02555-3

Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2018 Nov 23;6(1):126. doi: 10.1186/s40478-018-0633-y

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2017 Oct 1;102(10):3611-3615. doi: 10.1210/jc.2017-00174. Sci Rep. 2017 May 18;7(1):2136. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-02388-7

J   Mol  Diagn.   2016   Sep;18(5):775-786.   doi: 10.1016/j.jmoldx. 2016.06.002. Neuro Oncol. 2016 Mar;18(3):388-400. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/nov182. Sci Transl Med. 2015  Jul  22;7(297):297fs31

Biopreserv  Biobank.  2015  Jun;13(3):200-6;  Histopathology. 2015 Aug;67(2):193-205; Ecancermedicalscience. 2014 Dec 31;8:496

Biopreserv Biobank. 2014 Oct;12(5):292-3: Eur J Hum Genet. 2015 Oct;23(10):1271-8; Virchows Arch. 2014 Nov;465(5):509-19

Biopreserv Biobank. 2013 Aug;11(4):229-34

Biopreserv Biobank. 2014 Apr;12(2):81-90;

J Proteome Res. 2013 Dec 6;12(12):5723-9;

Nat Biotechnol. 2013 May;31(5):384-5; J Proteome Res. 2012 Dec 7;11(12):5748-62; Biopreserv Biobank. 2012 Oct;10(5):407-15

J Mol Diagn. 2012 Sep;14(5):458-66

Eur J Hum Genet. 2012 Nov;20(11):1105- 11

PLoS One. 2011;6(11):e27704

Nat Biotechnol. 2011 Sep 8;29(9):795-7

Biopreserv Biobank. 2011 Apr;9(1):57-70

Hum Genet. 2011 Sep;130(3):357-68

Biopreserv Biobank. 2011 Jun;9(2):195-6

Biopreserv Biobank. 2011 Jun;9(2):139-40

J Proteome Res. 2011 Aug 5;10(8):3429-38

Cancer   Cytopathol.   2011   Apr   25;119(2):92-101

Biopreserv  Biobank. 2011 Mar;9(1):3-4

BMC Bioinformatics. 2010 Nov 18;11:566

J Proteome Res. 2010 Oct 1;9(10):5188- 96

Biopreserv Biobank. 2010 Sep;8(3):121-5

PLoS One. 2010 Apr 22;5(4):e10312

Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2010 Apr;19(4):923-6

Virchows Arch. 2010 Apr;456(4):449-54

Biopreserv Biobank. 2009 Sep;7(3):157-60

Mol Oncol. 2008 Oct;2(3):213-22; Tumori. 2008 Mar- Apr;94(2):160-3

Tumori.  2008 Mar-Apr;94(2):143-6

Eur  J Cancer.  2007 Mar;43(5):828-34; Adv Exp Med Biol. 2006;587:65-74. Review; Eur J Cancer. 2006 Nov;42(16):2684-91; Pathobiology. 2007;74(4):239-44

Eur J Cancer. 2006 Nov;42(17):2914-23

Eur J Cancer. 2006 Dec;42(18):3103- 9

Eur J Cancer. 2006 Nov;42(17):2924-9

Eur J Cancer. 2006 Nov;42(16):2678-83.

Awards:

Chair OECI pathobiology group

ISBER president 2010

ESBB president 2012

Standards:

The team contributed to standards with TuBaFrost, EuroBoNeT, SPIDIA, SPIDIA-4P EurocanPlatform, BBMRI, IARC, EORTC, ISBER, CEN and ISO.