Specialization
cancer immunology, peritoneal metastases, tumor immune environment, inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer
Focus of research
The Grootjans Lab studies the interplay between the immune system and gastrointestinal cancers.
The lab has three major research lines:
1. Understanding how immune cell alterations in the background of chronic intestinal inflammation (inflammatory bowel disease) favor the development of colorectal cancer;
2. Finding novel immunomodulatory treatment targets for difficult-to-treat cancers such as peritoneal metastasized disease, by better understanding the tumor immune environment;
3. Uncovering the mechanisms driving immune-related adverse events of currently used immune-activating therapies (immune checkpoint inhibitors).