Prof. MD PhD

Medical Specialist, AII - Immunology Affiliatie UvA Medical Specialist, CCA - Cancer biology and immunology Full Professor, Clinical Hematology Full Professor, Landsteiner Laboratory Full Professor, Landsteiner Laboratory

PI
Specialization

Internist-hematologist

Focus of research

Acute leukemia specific antibodies

  • Sanq-CAR for the treatment of leukemia 
  • Antibodies derived from cured AML patients: origin and development into therapeutics 
  • IgG-glycosylation and hexamerization as sweet spots in alloimmune responses against blood cells

Graft versus host disease

  • Heating up or cooling down: cellular therapy for cancer and inflammatory conditions
  • Innate immunity in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Infections and vaccination

  • COBRA-KAI study: COVID-19 vaccination in patients with reduced B-cell and T-cell immunity: response after vaccination of a kaleidoscopic group hematological patients, what’s the impact?
  • COBRA re-KAI study: COVID-19 vaccination in patients with reduced B-cell and T-cell immunity: response after re-vaccination of a kaleidoscopic group of hematological patients: what’s the impact? 

Dr Mette Hazenberg is a Professor in Hematology and Cell Therapy at Amsterdam University Medical Center and at Sanquin Research, Amsterdam. Her work as a clinical haematologist and principal investigator is focused on the immunology of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). Taking advantage of the strong immune responses allogeneic HCT recipients can generate against their malignancies, she identified acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) specific antibodies that have great potential as therapeutic antibodies. Donor immune cells can however turn against healthy tissues of the stem cell recipient, resulting in - often devastating - graft versus host disease (GvHD). Hazenberg is working towards a better understanding of the immunological processes underlying the emergence and clinical behaviour of GvHD. Damage to tissues and the microbiome play an important role in GVHD pathophysiology and research in the Hazenberg group is focused on the tissue protective roles of innate lymphoid cells (ILC) and the microbiome and employment thereof to prevent and treat GvHD. A third topic of research is the often slow recovery of the immune system after allogeneic HCT, and its consequences for vaccine immunogenicity. Hazenberg teaches at the University of Amsterdam and at Sanquin. She has been awarded several prestigious grants, including a Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) Clinical Fellowship, a Landsteiner (LSBR) Fellowship and NWO Talent Scheme VIDI and Aspasia grants. Hazenberg is Treasurer of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), the chair of the Graft versus Host Centre of Expertise Amsterdam, deputy head of the Clinical Transplantation Unit at Amsterdam UMC, and member of the stem cell transplantation working group of HOVON (Hemato-oncology Foundation for Adults in The Netherlands). Hazenberg is also a member of the Dutch National Institute for Public Health (RIVM) working group on vaccination in patients with hematologic conditions and the RIVM working group on COVID-19 vaccination in immunocompromised patients.

Activities

  • Treasurer of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) 
  • Member of the RIVM/NIV Working Group COVID-19 Vaccination in Immunocompromised
  • Member of the RIVM/NIV Working Group Vaccination & Hematologic Malignancies
  • Member of the HOVON Working Group on Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation