Current roles at the VU
Current research projects
Background and previous projects
Jurgen Haanstra studied Biomedical Sciences at Utrecht University, with one internship on the impact of stress on food-intake regulating neuropeptides and another on the downstream effects of MAP kinase signalling. He graduated in 2002 and started as a PhD student at VU University in the lab of Dr. Barbara Bakker and Prof. dr. Hans Westerhoff on network-based drug design against glycolysis in the tropical parasite Trypanosoma brucei. In this project he combined mathematical modelling and wet lab experimentation. During this time, he spend 6 months in Heidelberg to study the control and regulation of trypanosome gene expression.
After his PhD, Haanstra was a post-doctoral researcher in the Hematology department of the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, where he focussed on elucidating the molecular mechanism of leukemogenesis after bone marrow failure. In 2011, he returned to trypanosomes and again combined mathematical modelling with wet lab experiments. He divided his time between his post-doc position at the UMCG Groningen and his position as a guest researcher in the department of Molecular Cell Physiology at VU University Amsterdam and worked on redox metabolism of T. brucei and differential-based drug design. In the latter part of his work he aimed to find drug targets within metabolism that, when targeted, affect the parasite more than the mammalian host. Three times he has hosted the AIMMS-sponsored annual microsymposium on ‘Parasite/Trypanosmatid Metabolism, Drug Design and Glycosomes’ at the VU.
Publications
Supervision of students
If you are interested in an internship look at our Internships page for the available openings and contact me.
Name | Co-supervisor | Project | Bsc/Msc | Year | Period |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Josan Yauw | The role of the FBP-activatable LDH in the metabolism of Schistosoma Mansoni | Msc | 2015 | May - October | |
Lili Cheng | Marco Siderius | THT1-expressing yeast | Bsc | 2015 | March - June |
Thijs Tinneveld | Liver (cancer) metabolism | Bsc | 2015 | March - July | |
Alina Renz | Klaas Krab | Personalized Medicine – Modelling of Tumorigenesis | Bsc | 2015 | February - June |
Jose Gavalda Garcia | Meike Wortel Marijke Wagner | Membrane low affinity transporter increase net substrate uptake in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: an experimental verification | Msc | 2015 | February - June |
Elena Merino Tejero | Quantification of enzyme activity in HepG2 cells in different nutrient conditions | Msc | 2015-2016 | September 2015 - March 2016 | |
Dimitri Lindijer | Modelling the redox pathway in Trypanosoma brucei | Bsc | 2015-2016 | August 2015 - April 2016 (50%) | |
Mariah Kes Eva Mooij | Marijke Wagner | Quantification of glycogen and urea/ammonia production in liver cancer cell lines | Bsc (honours programme 2nd year) | 2016 | July |
Mandy Koomen | The role of Branched-Chain Amino Acids in Metabolism and Proliferation of HepG2 Cells | Bsc | 2016 | February - June | |
Nicole Geduld | The carbon balance in liver cancer cells | Bsc | 2016-2017 | Sept 2016 - Feb 2017 | |
Hakan Cicigul | The dynamics of glycolytic enzyme activities after growth factor stimulation | Guest researcher | 2016-2017 | Okt 2016 - Feb 2017 | |
Daan van den Akker | Exploration of constraint-based modeling approaches for the identification of hepatocellular carcinoma specific metabolic pathways | Msc (literature thesis UU) | 2017 | May - Aug | |
Maurice Vink | The dynamics of glycolytic enzyme activities after growth factor stimulation | Bsc | 2017 | Feb - June | |
Gius Kerster | Marco Siderius | The effect of HIV protease inhibitors on Trypanosoma brucei | Bsc | 2017 | Feb - June |
Olivier Martin | The role of the FBP-activatable LDH in the metabolism of Schistosoma Mansoni | Msc | 2017 | Feb - June | |
Stefan Westerink | Amino acid metabolism in liver (cancer) cells | Msc | 2017 | April - Aug | |
Annabel Dekker | The dynamics of glycolytic enzyme activities after growth factor stimulation | Msc | 2017-2018 | Sept 2017 - Feb 2018 | |
Joyce IJspelder | Glycolysis as potential target pathway for drugs against Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania | Msc (literature thesis) | 2018 | January - July | |
Glenn Mollevanger | Metabolism of cancer cell lines | HBO/University of Applied Sciences | 2018 | February - September | |
Malu Steenwijk | Marijke Wagner | Development of assays to screen for inhibitors of glucose transport in Trypanosoma brucei | Msc | 2018 | February - June |
Thijs van der Heijden | Does Trypanosoma brucei adapt to glucose transport inhibition? | Msc | 2019 | January - July | |
Mick de Bree | Kill curves of glucose transport inhibition | Bsc | 2019 | February - May | |
Deborah Jekel | Rosanne Hertzberger | Growth and metabolims of Lactopbacillus crispatus | Bsc | 2019 | February - May |
Marlieke Oostdam | Towards a semi-highthrougput test system for glucose transport inhibition | Msc | 2019 | February - June | |
Jikke Wijninga | Metabolism of T. brucei in the adipose tissue | Msc (literature thesis) | 2019 | March - September | |
Ritesh Panchoe | Rosanne Hertzberger | Glycogen metabolism of vaginal bacterial species | Msc | 2019 | April - September |
Federica Spiga | Oxygen consumption in liver cancer cells | volunteer (1st year bachelor) | 2019 | August | |
Claire Ribbers | Enzyme activities in liver cancer cells | Bsc | 2019 | September-December | |
Senin Ermesilia | Liver cancer cells: growth, flux and enzyme activities | HBO/University of Applied Sciences | 2019/2020 | September - June | |
Ruben Kramer | Eradication of African sleeping sickness by 2030, possible or not? | Bsc (literature thesis | 2020 | January | |
Alexander Woudstra | Rosanne Hertzberger | Metabolism of vaginal bacterial species | Msc | 2019 | November - March |
Julia Beets | Bottlenecks in liver cancer glycolysis | Bsc | 2020 | February - May | |
Antoon Kouwenhoven | Pranas Grigaitis | Integration of thermodynamics data into large-scale metabolic networks | Bsc | 2020 | February - May |
Maaike Janz | Semi-high throughput assay for glucose transport inhibitors | Msc | 2020 | March - August | |
Daniel Centanni | Antitrypanosomal drugs in the context of inborn errors of metabolism | Bsc | 2020 | April - August | |
Tom Belleman | The effect of inhibition of glycolytic enzymes in liver cancer cells | Bsc | 2020 | August - November |
Links
LinkedIn profile Jurgen Haanstra
Google Scholar Jurgen Haanstra
Contact information
Email: j.r.haanstra[at]vu[dot]nl
Systems Biology Lab
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
room O|2 01W57
De Boelelaan 1108
1081 HZ Amsterdam
Tel: 020-5987193