Carolien Van Damme
Doctoral fellow – Pediatric Precision Oncology Lab Ghent – Center for Medical Genetics (UGent)
Principal investigators: prof. Kaat Durinck (PhD) and prof. Sven Eyckerman (PhD)
Research focus
Neuroblastoma is a pediatric tumor of the sympathetic nervous system associated with poor survival in high-risk cases. Current options for targeted therapy for high-risk neuroblastoma patients are limited and single compound strategies regularly fail due to escape mechanisms. In contrast to the low mutational burden, high-risk neuroblastomas often present with recurrent somatic segmental chromosome copy number variants. Using integrated data mining strategies, our research team recently identified several novel dependencies, including GJC1, a connexine involved in cell-cell communication. In my project, I investigate the “moonlighting” or non-canonical function of this connexin in high-risk neuroblastoma. We aim to prove that GJC1 is not only present at the cell membrane but also in and around the nucleus to help with DNA damage repair of highly transcribed genes. Therefore, we apply immunofluorescence, fractionation and CUT&RUN experiments. Further we want to know what GJC1 is actually doing there out of its comfort zone and investigate the effects of GJC1 knockout in neuroblastoma cells. And then lastly, we examine the interaction partners of GJC1 needed to perform this new function to understand it better. This all for the sake of the patients, to hopefully be able to find new therapeutic therapies which are more effective and cause less side effects in these children.
Biography
I obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Bioscience engineering (UGent, 2020), after which I obtained a Master Degree with a major in Cell and Gene biotechnology (UGent, 2022).
For my master thesis, I went to the lab of Prof. Olivier De Wever under the supervision of Prof. Christian Stevens, where I focused on the molecular mechanism of an anti-invasive compound in breast cancer.
After my master thesis, I started a PhD (August 2022) at the lab of Prof. Speleman, where I investigate replication fork protector dependency factors as novel targets for combination treatment and immunomodulation in neuroblastoma.
Contact & links
- Lab address: Center for Medical Genetics Ghent (CMGG), Medical Research Building 1 (MRB1), 2nd floor, campus UZ Gent, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, entrance 34, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Pediatric Precision Oncology Lab
- Center for Medical Genetics Ghent
- Carolien Van Damme is interested to receive invitations for presentations or talks