Fran Leijnen
Doctoral fellow – Lab for Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation (UGent, UZGent)
Doctoral fellow – Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics (UGent)
Principal investigator: prof. Tim Lammens (PhD)
Research focus
Pediatric T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) represents an aggressive hematologic malignancy originating from immature T-lymphocytes. Currently, T-LBL patients are treated using protocols developed for T-ALL, which have improved 5-year event-free survival rates to approximately 85%. However, relapse occurs in about 20% of cases, and the chances of successful treatment after relapse are extremely low, with salvage rates around 15%. Therefore, T-LBL is largely a disease of one chance. Due to the poor prognosis after relapse and the lack of clinically relevant high-risk genetic markers, there is a clear unmet need for the identification of molecular risk factors and prognostic biomarkers in T-LBL. Additionally, there is a pressing need for new therapeutic strategies that are both effective and less toxic. Recently, a previously unknown high-risk biological subgroup of T-LBL patients was discovered, characterized by NOTCH1 gene fusions.
My PhD project aims to systematically characterize the (molecular) consequences of these NOTCH1 fusions by using several experimental models. Using modified cell line models, the downstream signalling alterations and functional effects will be unravelled. Genetically engineered murine pro-T cell models and patient-derived xenografts will be developed to functionally study the impact of NOTCH1 fusions in vivo. The generated models will be used for drug response profiling, supporting the development of targeted therapies for this high-risk subgroup. Through this strategy, I seek to advance our understanding of T-LBL pathobiology and contribute to improved patient risk stratification and treatment development.
Biography
- 2025-Present: PhD candidate in Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University
- 2023-2025: Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences, Ghent University
- 2020-2023: Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences, Ghent University
- 2014-2020: Science-Mathematics, Sint-Lievenscollege Ghent
Key publications
- Decoding ‘NOTCH1: From T-Cell Development Guardian to Driver of Pediatric T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma’. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2026. (PMID: 41752218)
Contact & links
- Lab Address: Campus UZ Gent, entrance 10, route 1034, 9000 Gent (secretariaat Pediatrische Hematologie-Oncologie)
- Lab for pediatric Hematology-Oncology
- ORCID ID
- Fran Leijnen is interested to receive invitations for presentations or talks