dr. Hannah Van Steenberge (MD)

CRIG member
Hannah Van Steenberge


Doctoral fellow - Unit for Translational Research in Oncology/The Department of Diagnostic Sciences (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UGent)
Hematology resident - Hematology Department (UZ Gent)
Principal Investigators: prof. Steven Goossens (PhD) and prof. Tessa Kerre (MD, PhD)
 

Research focus

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a rare and aggressive hematologic malignancy, characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of immature T-cell progenitors in the bone marrow. While significant progress has been made in treating pediatric T-ALL, the prognosis for adult T-ALL remains poor, with a 5-year survival rate of approximately 50%. In case of relapse/refractory (R/R) T-ALL, the long-term survival rates are even more dismal (<10%), mainly due to the limited therapeutic options and the high toxicity of available treatments.  This highlights an urgent clinical need for alternative treatment strategies.

A promising strategy to overcome current therapeutic limitations is the development of functional precision medicine based on patient-specific drug response profiling (DRP). My research is dedicated to optimizing salvage therapeutic strategies for adult R/R T-ALL patients by using this approach. We aim to set up a pipeline for functional ex vivo drug response profiling on primary samples from T-ALL patients, in order to guide clinical decision making in case of relapse or refractory disease. By integrating the DRP-results from diagnosis and relapse with comprehensive genomic, proteomic and transcriptomic data, our goal is to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying therapy resistance and identify biomarkers that predict the efficacy of novel salvage therapeutic strategies. This personalized approach aims to move beyond the trial-and-error method currently used in selecting salvage therapies, providing tailored treatment options that improve patient outcomes.

Furthermore, we will evaluate the effectiveness of these novel therapies using patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models, enabling in vivo testing of drug responses. This research not only aims to enhance treatment for T-ALL patients, but also contributes to the broader field of cancer research by developing methodologies that can be applied to other malignancies. Through multidisciplinary and international collaboration, and integration of cutting-edge technologies, our work aims to improve the prognosis for T-ALL patients and advance the understanding of cancer resistance mechanisms, ultimately bridging the gap from bench to bedside by translating scientific discoveries into clinical applications for the benefit of patients.
 

Biography

  • 2012-2018 Master of Medicine, Ghent University
  • 2018-present: Internal medicine resident and hematologist in training
  • 2023-present: PhD researcher at Unit for Translational Research in Oncology – Ghent University
     

Key publications

  • T-ALL relapsing as AML: the same but different. British Society of Haematology – Education – Haematology images. (2021)
  • Myeloproliferative invasion of arterial walls: premortem diagnosis by temporal artery biopsy. EJHaem, 2(3), 661-662. (2021)
  • (Myb overexpression synergizes with loss of Pten and is a dependency factor and therapeutic target in T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia. HemaSphere. 8(3), e51. (2024)
     

Contact & links

  • Lab address: UZ Gent, Medical Research Building 2 (entrance 38 - 1st Floor, Room 110.006), Corneel Heymanslaan 10, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
  • Goossens Lab
  • LinkedIn