Henri Versteeg
My main interest is the interplay between tumor cells and blood coagulation. One of the research themes I focus on is how blood clotting promotes tumor growth and cancer metastasis. Specifically, my research team investigates how blood clotting proteins such as tissue factor, factor VII, factor X and thrombin activate receptors on tumor cells to promote cancer progression. In addition, my team has been successful in identifying a role for alternatively spliced clotting factor isoforms in cancer progression.
Another research theme is how the presence of a tumor promotes venous thrombosis in cancer patients. My team investigates how blood components and tumor products cooperate to induce a hypercoagulable state in these patients.
In recent years I have adopted a strategy that includes studying associations between coagulation parameters and clinical outcome in large collections of tumor specimens and to use these associations to set hypotheses. These hypotheses are tested in cell and in vivo models. Based on this work, I was able to publish in general (Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA) and more specialized journals (Blood, Circulation Research). It resulted in an invitation from Physiological Reviews (IF: 30.176) to write an extensive review on hemostasis. It also resulted in invitations to present State-of-the-art lectures at large international meetings such as the Congress of the International Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, and awards ( Novo Nordisk Hemostasis Award, ATVB New Investigator Award, Marie Parijs Award for translational research.
Positions
2015-.. Professor of Internal Medicine. Dept. of Thrombosis/Hemostasis, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Netherlands
2012-2014 Associate Professor. Dept of Thrombosis/Hemostasis, LUMC, The Netherlands
2009-2012 Assistant Professor. Dept. of Thrombosis/Hemostasis and Dept of Clinical Oncology, LUMC, The Netherlands
2007-2009 Senior fellow. Dept. of Thrombosis/Hemostasis, LUMC, Netherlands
2004-2007 Postdoctoral fellow. Dept of Immunology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
2004-2007 Postdoc. Dept of Medical Oncology, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, Netherlands
Grants/awards
2014 De Merel fund, The Netherlands.
2014 Den Dulk/Moermans fund, The Netherlands.
2013 Rembrandt Institute on Cardiovascular Science Award, The Netherlands.
2012 Marie Parijs Award for best translational research at Leiden University Medical Ctr.
2010 VIDI fellowship awarded by The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.
2009 Intramural grant awarded by the Kassenaar Foundation, The Netherlands.
2007 Integration award Leducq Initiative against Thrombosis (LINAT), France.
2007 VENI fellowship,The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (2nd best rated).
2006 Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB) New Investigator Award.
2006 AHA fellowship awarded by the American Heart Association (percentile rank:1.72).
2004 NWO Talent stipend awarded by The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.
2003 The Novo Nordisk Haemostasis Award 2003, Denmark.
Selected publications
1.Kocatürk B, Van den Berg YW, Tieken C, Mieog JS, de Kruijf EM, Engels CC, van der Ent MA, Kuppen PJ, Van de Velde CJ, Ruf W, Reitsma PH, Osanto S, Liefers GJ, Bogdanov VY, Versteeg HH. Alternatively spliced tissue factor promotes breast cancer growth in a β1 integrin-dependent manner. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013:110;11517-11522.
2.Versteeg HH, Heemskerk JW, Levi M, Reitsma PH. New fundamentals in hemostasis. Physiol Rev. 2013;93:327-358.
3.Van den Hengel LG, Kocatürk B, Reitsma PH, Ruf W, Versteeg HH. Complete abolishment of coagulant activity in monomeric disulfide-deficient tissue factor. Blood. 2011;118:3446-3448.
4.Van den Berg YW, van den Hengel LG, Myers HR, Ayachi O, Jordanova E, Ruf W, Spek CA, Reitsma PH, Bogdanov VY, Versteeg HH. Alternatively spliced tissue factor induces angiogenesis through integrin ligation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009;106:19497-19502.
5.Versteeg HH, Schaffner F, Kerver M, Ellies LG, Andrade-Gordon P, Mueller BM, Ruf W. Protease-activated receptor (PAR) 2, but not PAR1, signaling promotes the development of mammary adenocarcinoma in polyoma middle T mice. Cancer Res. 2008;68:7219-7227
6.Versteeg HH, Schaffner F, Kerver M, Petersen HH, Ahamed J, Felding-Habermann B, Takada Y, Mueller BM, Ruf W. Inhibition of tissue factor signaling suppresses tumor growth. Blood. 2008;111:190-199.
7.Versteeg HH, Ahamed J, Kerver ME, Chen VM, Mueller BM, Hogg PJ, Ruf W. Disulfide isomerization switches Tissue Factor from coagulation to cell signaling. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2006;103:13932-13937.
8.Versteeg HH, Spek CA, Slofstra SH, Diks SH, Richel DJ, Peppelenbosch MP. FVIIa:TF induces cell survival via G12/G13-dependent Jak/STAT activation and BclXL production. Circ Res. 2004;94:1032-1040.
