Profile photo Susanne Lens

Susanne Lens

Full Professor

Strategic program(s):

Biography

Susanne Lens is professor of Genomic Instability at the Center of Molecular Medicine (CMM) of the University Medical Center Utrecht, Principal Investigator of Oncode Institute, and director of the PhD program Clinical and Translational Oncology (CTO) of the Graduate School of Life Sciences, Utrecht University. She obtained a master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Leiden in 1993, and her PhD in Immunology from the University of Amsterdam in 1998. In that same year she was awarded a KWF young investigator fellowship to perform her postdoctoral work on apoptosis inhibitors in cancer in the lab of Jürg Tschopp at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland). In 2001 her research focus shifted from immunology and death receptor signaling, to understanding faithful chromosome segregation during mitosis (at the Netherlands Cancer Institute). She obtained a NWO-Vidi grant in 2005, and a NWO-Vici grant in 2011 for her research on chromosomal (in)stability and the chromosomal passenger complex. Since 2013 she is a full professor of the UMCU and UU and in 2017 she became a Principal Investigator of Oncode Institute.

Research groups

Chromosomal instability, aneuploidy and cancer

Research aim

Understanding the molecular mechanisms that ensure error-free propagation of the genome during cell division and revealing the causes and consequences of chromosomal instability and aneuploidy in cancer.

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Recent publications

A kinesin-based approach for inducing chromosome-specific mis-segregation in human cells My Anh Truong, Paula Cané-Gasull, Sippe G. de Vries, Wilco Nijenhuis, René Wardenaar, Lukas C. Kapitein, Floris Foijer, Susanne M.A. Lens
EMBO Journal, 2023, vol. 42
Modeling specific aneuploidies My Anh Truong, Paula Cané-Gasull, Susanne M.A. Lens
Chromosome Research, 2023, vol. 31
Nuclear chromosome locations dictate segregation error frequencies Sjoerd J Klaasen, My Anh Truong, Richard H van Jaarsveld, Isabella Koprivec, Valentina Štimac, Sippe G de Vries, Patrik Risteski, Snježana Kodba, Kruno Vukušić, Kim L de Luca, Joana F Marques, Elianne M Gerrits, Bjorn Bakker, Floris Foijer, Jop Kind, Iva M Tolić, Susanne M A Lens, Geert J P L Kops
Nature, 2022, vol. 607, p.604–609
FER regulates endosomal recycling and is a predictor for adjuvant taxane benefit in breast cancer Sandra Tavares, Nalan Liv, Milena Pasolli, Mark Opdam, Max A K Rätze, Manuel Saornil, Lilian M Sluimer, Rutger C C Hengeveld, Robert van Es, Erik van Werkhoven, Harmjan Vos, Holger Rehmann, Boudewijn M T Burgering, Hendrika M Oosterkamp, Susanne M A Lens, Judith Klumperman, Sabine C Linn, Patrick W B Derksen
Cell Reports, 2022, vol. 39, p.1-24
Mechanistic basis for Sgo1-mediated centromere localization and function of the CPC Maria Alba Abad, Tanmay Gupta, Michael A Hadders, Amanda Meppelink, J Pepijn Wopken, Elizabeth Blackburn, Juan Zou, Anjitha Gireesh, Lana Buzuk, David A Kelly, Toni McHugh, Juri Rappsilber, Susanne M A Lens, A Arockia Jeyaprakash
The Journal of cell biology, 2022, vol. 221, p.1-22
Leave no sister behind Michael A. Hadders, Susanne M.A. Lens
Cell Reports, 2021, vol. 37, p.1-2

Fellowships & Awards

2012: Vici Innovational Research Incentive Scheme

2005: Vidi Innovational Research Incentive Scheme

External positions

FCT Panel member - Evaluation of the FCT R&D units multiannual funding program - FCT

Chair programme committee Life NWO 2021 - Wetenschap - NWO

Chair programme committee NWO Life 2022 - Wetenschap - NWO

Member programme committee NWO Life 2020 - Wetenschap - NWO

Organizer EMBO workshop CHROMO2013 - Organizer EMBO workshop on Chromosome segregation and aneuploidy - EMBO