dr. Liselot M. Mus (PhD)
TEARDRoP Oncology Coordinator – Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (UZ Gent, BSPHO)
Principal investigators: Prof. Bram De Wilde (MD, PhD) and Prof. Tim Lammens (PhD)
PDXGhent Core Facility Coordinator – Department of Diagnostical Sciences, (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UGent)
Principal investigator: Prof. Steven Goossens (PhD)
Research focus
TEARDRoP
Pediatric oncology faces unique challenges due to childhood development complexity. To overcome stagnation in survival rates, fundamental research into disease biology is crucial. A key hurdle is access to high-quality, well-annotated patient samples. With support from the Olivia Fund, the TEARDRoP consortium was established within BSPHO to create a Belgian pediatric oncology bioportal. This infrastructure will integrate clinical data and annotated samples from all Belgian pediatric cancer patients. By implementing uniform procedures for high-quality sample collection in routine care across all treatment sites, TEARDRoP ensures more complete, research-ready sample collections. This strengthens Belgian research groups in (inter)national collaborations and empowers patients to participate in cutting-edge studies.
Download the TEARDRoP poster for a comprehensive visualization of the TEARDRoP initiative.
PDXGhent core
Preclinical models are vital in cancer research, supporting insights into disease biology, biomarker discovery, and therapy development. Traditional models often fail in early clinical trials, highlighting the need for more predictive systems. Patient-derived xenografts (PDX) offer improved clinical relevance, drug screening reliability, and tumor heterogeneity preservation. PDXGhent core, embedded in Ghent University’s Core Facilities and Ghent University Hospital, provides streamlined access to PDX model creation, characterization, validation, biobanking, and therapy efficacy studies. Its diverse PDX collection helps researchers find models closely mimicking patient tumors. Our expert team supports grant writing, budget planning, experimental execution, and data analysis. PDXGhent fosters strong clinical-research connections, enhancing your work and driving top-tier oncology research.
Download the PDXGhent core poster for a comprehensive visualization of the PDXGhent core facility or visit our website.
Biography
EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
- 2024-present: PDXGhent core coordinator, Ghent University
- 2021-present: TEARDRoP Oncology manager, Ghent University/UZ Gent
- 2020-2024: NB PDX manager, post-doctoral fellow, Ghent University/UZ Gent
- 2013-2020: Doctoral Thesis (Ph.D.) in Medical Sciences, Ghent University/UZ Gent
- 2008-2013: Master of Science in Bio-Engineering Cell-and Gene Biotechnology, Ghent University
- 2002-2008: Science – Mathematics, Sint-Andreaslyceum Sint-Kruis, Brugge
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
- Belgian Society for Paediatric Haematology Oncology (BSPHO)
- Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure of Belgium (BBMRI.Be)
GRANTS
- Olivia Hendrickx Research Fund (TEARDRoP)
- Emmanuel Van der Scheuren starters fellowship (Ph.D.)
Research team
- Sara T'Sas - technician
- Liam Aelvoet - technician
Key publications
- NBAtlas: A harmonized single-cell transcriptomic reference atlas of human neuroblastoma tumors. Cell Rep. 2024 (PMID: 39368085)
- Diagnosis of pediatric central nervous system tumors using methylation profiling of cfDNA from cerebrospinal fluid. Clin Epigenetics. 2024 (PMID: 38970137)
- RRM2 enhances MYCN driven neuroblastoma formation and acts as a synergistic target with CHK1 inhibition. Science Advances, 2022. (PMID: epub ahead of printing)
- Recurrent chromosomal imbalances provide selective advantage to human embryonic stem cells under enhanced replicative stress conditions. Genes Chromosomes and Cancer, 2020. (PMID: 33336840)
- The ETS transcription factor ETV5 is a target of activated ALK in neuroblastoma contributing
to increased tumour aggressiveness. Scientific Reports, 2020. (PMID: 31937834) - ALK positively regulates MYCN activity through repression of HBP1 expression. Oncogene,
2019. (PMID: 30538293) - Vehicle development, pharmacokinetics and toxicity of the anti-invasive agent 4-fluoro-3',4',5'-trimethoxychalcone in rodents. PlosOne, 2018 (PMID: 29470507)
- EV-TRACK: transparent reporting and centralizing knowledge in extracellular vesicle research. Nature Methods, 2017 (PMID: 28245209)
- Depletion of tRNA-halves enables effective small RNA sequencing of low-input murine serum samples. Scientific reports, 2016 (PMID: 27901112)
- Chick Heart Invasion Assay for Testing the Invasiveness of Cancer Cells and the Activity of
Potentially Anti-invasive Compounds. Journal of Visual Experiments, 2015. (PMID:26131648)
Contact & links
- Lab address: Ghent University Hospital,Corneel Heymanslaan 10, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- TEARDRoP: entrance 10, Route 1034, Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation
- PDXGhent Core: entrance 38, Medical Research Building 2 (MRB2), 1st Floor, Department of Diagnostical Sciences - Lab for Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
- PDXGhent Core
- PDXGhent Core facility
- Pediatric Precision Oncology Lab Ghent
- Center for Medical Genetics Ghent
- Orcid
- ResearchGate
- Member of the Consortium for Sarcoma Research Ghent (ConSaRGhent)
- Liselot Mus is interested to receive invitations for presentations or talks