The Head and neck cancer biology & immunology (HNCBI) research group is part of the Department of Otolaryngology-head and neck surgery and embedded in Cancer Center  Amsterdam (CCA) and the Amsterdam Institute for Immunology & Infectious Disease (AI&I). The research group performs translational research on diseases in the head and neck region with emphasis on cancer and inflammation-related disorders.

Head and neck oncology research:

Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. It arises from the epithelial cells lining the upper aerodigestive tract. The vast majority of the cancers are head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The major risk factors for developing these cancers include tobacco use, alcohol consumption and in selected anatomical locations viral infections, particularly human papillomavirus (HPV). Late detection, cancer recurrence and second primary tumors are major obstacles in the clinical management of the disease. 

The ultimate aim is to translate research findings to the clinic and improve diagnosis, treatment and surveillance. Our major research themes are:

  • oncogenesis and genomics

  • molecular diagnosis for early detection and disease monitoring

  • tumor-stroma interactions

  • development and evaluation of novel treatments

  • cancer-associated metabolism

Our research spans fundamental, translational and clinical studies. Current projects include the NWO-funded OralScreen consortium for early, non-invasive detection of oral cancers and their precursors, a TKI-consortium on drug repurposing, KWF-funded FLUID/FLUID2 prospective clinical studies on HPV ctDNA disease monitoring, a ZonMw-funded consortium on cancer-associated metabolism, a KWF-funded basic research project on immune suppression through the GARP/TGF-beta axis, a CCA-funded proof-of-concept clinical trial on neoadjuvant local immunotherapy in oral cancer (ROCinIT-trial), performed within the patient-research group Head and Neck oncology (PRG-HNO), an Amsterdam UMC PhD scholarship on high precision immunotherapy strategies in head and neck cancer and a collaboration grant from AI&I on complement activation and regulation in B cell infiltrated tumor-microenvironments. 

Rhinology and airways research:

Chronic inflammatory conditions of the airways are among the most common health problems worldwide, affecting more than 50% of the population during their lifetime. These diseases, including allergic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis with and without nasal polyps, asthma, and other inflammatory airway disorders. Despite significant advances in treatment, many patients continue to experience persistent symptoms, disease exacerbations, and reduced quality of life, highlighting the need for a better understanding of the mechanisms driving airway inflammation and for more personalized treatment strategies.

Our research focuses on understanding the immunological and molecular mechanisms underlying inflammatory diseases of the airways. We investigate the airway epithelium as a key regulator of inflammation and study how interactions between structural cells and immune cells.

To improve precision medicine approaches, our group develops advanced human cells models to better understand individual disease mechanisms and predict responses to therapy. These include patient-derived airway cell platforms, as well as innovative induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based models to investigate the role of stem cells, epithelial differentiation, and tissue regeneration in airway disease.

Our research is strongly connected to clinical studies through several ongoing patient cohorts, including MONOPOLY, BIOPRIM, LIMIT, and LIBERATE, allowing us to link molecular mechanisms to patient characteristics and clinical outcomes. We are also actively involved in collaborative research networks, including the Ombion consortium, and work closely with the P4O2 consortium to combine expertise in clinical phenotyping, molecular profiling, and human disease modelling.

HNCBI group members 

  • Prof. Dr. Rudolf Brakenhoff, professor of cancer genomics, Principal Investigator (chair) 
  • Dr. Rieneke van de Ven- van Balken, assistant professor, Principal investigator (vice chair)
  • Dr. Jos Poell, research associate 

Current PhD students 

  • Anabel van der Lee
  • Émilie de Groot 
  • Laura Meulenbroeks 
  • Loth Webbink 
  • Rianne Dalhuisen

Technicians 

  • Arjen Brink
  • Hannah Boersma 
  • Marijke Buijze
  • Marijke Stigter - van Walsum
  • Sonja Ganzevles

Rhinology research Lab group members 

  • Dr. Kornel Golebski, assistant professor, Principal investigator
  • Prof. Sietze Reitsma, Rhinologist
  • Dr. Kees van Drunen, assistant professor
  • Dr. Alejandro Rodriguez Ruiz, postdoc / research associate
  • Dr. Nadia Baalbaki, postdoc / research associate

Current PhD students

  • Benedetta Romano
  • Patricia Jager

Technicians:

  • Esther de Groot
  • Danielle van Egmond

Research Nurses:

  • Inge Bruins
  • Yasmin te Winkel

Key publications oncology:

  • Pierik AS, Poell JB, Brink A, Stigter-van Walsum M, Jansen F, de Bree R, Hardillo J, Langendijk JA, Takes RP, Lamers F, Verdonck-de Leeuw IM, Hendrickx JJ, Koppes SA, Rosing F, Waterboer T, Leemans CR, Brakenhoff RH. Supersensitive and robust disease monitoring in oropharyngeal cancer patients by circulating tumor HPV-DNA sequencing (ctHPV-DNAseq). Transl Oncol. 2026 May;67:102744. doi: 10.1016/j.tranon.2026.102744. Epub 2026 Apr 1. PMID: 41921264; PMCID: PMC13068874.
  • Muijlwijk T, Nauta IH, van der Lee A, Grünewald KJT, Brink A, Ganzevles SH, Baatenburg de Jong RJ, Atanesyan L, Savola S, van de Wiel MA, Peferoen LAN, Bloemena E, van de Ven R, Leemans CR, Poell JB, Brakenhoff RH. Hallmarks of a genomically distinct subclass of head and neck cancer. Nat Commun. 2024 Oct 20;15(1):9060. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-53390-3. Erratum in: Nat Commun. 2025 Feb 17;16(1):1705. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-57020-4. PMID: 39428388;
  • Wondergem NE, Miedema IHC, van de Ven R, Zwezerijnen GJC, de Graaf P, Karagozoglu KH, Hendrickx JJ, Eerenstein SEJ, Bun RJ, Mulder DC, Voortman J, Boellaard R, Windhorst AD, Hagers JP, Peferoen LAN, de Gruijl TD, Bloemena E, Brakenhoff RH, Leemans CR, Menke-van der Houven van Oordt CW. Circulating T cell status and molecular imaging may predict clinical benefit of neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade in oral cancer. J Immunother Cancer. 2024 Jul 22;12(7):e009278. doi: 10.1136/jitc-2024-009278. PMID: 39038919; PMCID: PMC11268040. 
  • Wils LJ, Poell JB, Brink A, Evren I, Brouns ER, de Visscher JGAM, Bloemena E, Brakenhoff RH. Elucidating the Genetic Landscape of Oral Leukoplakia to Predict Malignant Transformation. Clin Cancer Res. 2023 Feb 1;29(3):602-613. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-22-2210. PMID: 36449687.
  • de Roest RH, Mes SW, Poell JB, Brink A, van de Wiel MA, Bloemena E, Thai E, Poli T, Leemans CR, Brakenhoff RH. Molecular Characterization of Locally Relapsed Head and Neck Cancer after Concomitant Chemoradiotherapy. Clin Cancer Res. 2019 Dec 1;25(23):7256-7265. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-19-0628. Epub 2019 Aug 22. PMID: 31439582.

Key publications rhinology:

  • Golebski K, Layhadi J., van Drunen CM, Fokkens ., Spits H,   Induction of IL-10-producing type 2 innate lymphoid cells by allergen immunotherapy is associated with clinical response, Immunity 2021 Feb 9;54(2):291-307.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2020.12.013.
  • Golebski K., Ros X., van Drunen CM, Fokkens W., Spits H, IL-1β, IL-23, and TGF-β drive plasticity of human ILC2s towards IL-17-producing ILCs in nasal inflammation, Nat Commun.,2019 May 14;10(1):2162. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-09883-7.
  • Bal S, Golebski K, Spits H, Plasticity of Innate Lymphoid Cells Subsets, Nat Rev Immunol  2020 Sep;20(9):552-565. doi: 10.1038/s41577-020-0282-9. Epub 2020 Feb 27.
  • Baalbaki N, van Egmond D., de Groot E., van Drunen CM, Golebski K, Barrier dysfunction in nasal epithelium contributes to persistent inflammation in long COVID, J Allergy Clin Immunol  . 2026 Jan;157(1):203-216. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2025.09.024.
  • Golebski K, van Drunen, Fokkens W, Reitsma S, Inflammatory innate lymphoid cells predict response speed to dupilumab in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, Allergy 2023 Dec;78(12):3265-3268. doi: 10.1111/all.15877. 

Contact 

Internships: j.poell@amsterdamumc.nl

Collaborations: r.vandeven@amsterdamumc.nl | k.golebski@amsterdamumc.nl