Universiteit Leiden

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Christine Mummery

Professor Developmental Biology

Name
Prof.dr. C.L. Mummery
Telephone
+31 71 526 9300
E-mail
c.l.mummery@lumc.nl

Christine Mummery is Professor of Developmental Biology and heads the iPSC&OoC Hotel facility in the LUMC. She trained in Biophysics from the University of London and after her PhD was Royal Society postdoctoral fellow at the Hubrecht Institute in Utrecht, where she later became staff member and group leader. She was Professor of Developmental Biology at the Hubrecht Institute until 2007 and after a sabbatical at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute introduced human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) to the Netherlands. In 2008, she became Chair of Developmental Biology at Leiden University Medical Centre and was department head from 2009-2020. In 2015, guest professor at the University of Twente. In 2010, she co-founded NCardia bv as an LUMC spin out. Her current research concerns modelling cardiovascular diseases using stem cells from patients and developing organ-on-chip models of multiple organs for safety pharmacology and potential disease and drug targets. She led an NWO Gravity proposal that was awarded a multimillion grant for this purpose in 2017 and holds European Research Council Advanced and Proof-of-Concept grants. She co-founded the European Organ on Chip Society and the Netherlands Human Disease Modelling Technology organization (hDMT.technology). She is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Science (KNAW) and is president of the International Society of Stem Cell research (ISSCR). She was founding editor of the ISSCR journal Stem Cell Reports. Her ambitions include promoting women and minorities in STEM. She is on several scientific advisory boards including the Hubrecht Institute, the Allen Institute, Mogrify and Sartorius Gmbh.

More information about Christine Mummery

Christine Mummery is Professor of Developmental Biology and heads the iPSC&OoC Hotel facility in the LUMC. She trained in Biophysics from the University of London and after her PhD was Royal Society postdoctoral fellow at the Hubrecht Institute in Utrecht, where she later became staff member and group leader. She was Professor of Developmental Biology at the Hubrecht Institute until 2007 and after a sabbatical at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute introduced human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) to the Netherlands. In 2008, she became Chair of Developmental Biology at Leiden University Medical Centre and was department head from 2009-2020. In 2015, guest professor at the University of Twente. In 2010, she co-founded NCardia bv as an LUMC spin out. Her current research concerns modelling cardiovascular diseases using stem cells from patients and developing organ-on-chip models of multiple organs for safety pharmacology and potential disease and drug targets. She led an NWO Gravity proposal that was awarded a multimillion grant for this purpose in 2017 and holds European Research Council Advanced and Proof-of-Concept grants. She co-founded the European Organ on Chip Society and the Netherlands Human Disease Modelling Technology organization (hDMT.technology). She is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Science (KNAW) and is president of the International Society of Stem Cell research (ISSCR). She was founding editor of the ISSCR journal Stem Cell Reports. Her ambitions include promoting women and minorities in STEM. She is on several scientific advisory boards including the Hubrecht Institute, the Allen Institute, Mogrify and Sartorius Gmbh.

Developmental Biology

Research focus concerns cardiovascular development and disease models based on human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC). Immediate interests are on developing biophysical techniques for characterization and functional analysis of cardiovascular cells from hPSC with the ultimate aim of understanding underlying disease mechanisms and drugs for treatment through bioassays. The interest derives from a long-standing fascination on how differentiation choices are made in development and the roles played by growth factors. With the development of human iPS cells by reprogramming somatic cells from patients, enthusiasm for potential clinical applications has grown, particularly in using these cells to identify personalized drug targets and sensitivities and ways correct disease phenotypes. Aside from cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells take a central role in the research, again in a clinical setting where we study a hemorrhaging disease (HHT) caused by mutations in TGFß receptors. We revealed several important mechanism underlying the disease and investigate several candidate drugs now being prescribed to patients. Through collaboration with clinicians in Leiden and Utrecht and engineers in UTwente, we are currently implementing methods for creating synthetic 2-D and 3-D normal and (genetically) diseased vascular and myocardial tissue. These study areas form part of the NWA on personalized medicine, early diagnosis and regenerative medicine.

Current research grants (selection)

  • EU FP7 2013-2017 Plurimes. Mesodermal tissue repair using pluripotent stem cells (450k€). 
  • CVON (Cardiovascular Onderzoek Nederland) NHS. HUSTCARE 2013-2018. Cardiac repair. Co-PI (350k€). 
  • European Research Council Advanced Grant 2013-2018. Human pluripotent stem cells: the new heart patient. Personal grant/PI (2.5 M€)
  • Muller Foundation (2014-2019). hiPSC models for vascular disease. PI (750k€). 
  • ERARE-CVD: CPVT heart disease models co-PI (350k€). 
  • ZonMW MKMD (2017-2020) hIPSC as models for cardiac disease. PI (350k€). 
  • Interreg: Biomat microfluidic chips (2018-2020). PI. (450k€).
  • TK-LSH (2018-2020):hiPSC model of arrhythmia. PI (90k€).     
  • Ministry of Education, Culture and Science NWO Gravity Grant 2017 (2017-2027) Netherlands Organ on Chip Initiative. PI (18.8 mlj €)

Academic career

  • Graduation: 1978

  • Oration: 2009  ‘Tweede lustrum van humane embryonale stamcellen: van belofte naar feit. Stamcellen worden volwassen’

  • 2015:  Professor of Vascular Modelling (0.2fte) Technical University of Twente
  • 2008:  Professor of Developmental Biology, Chair Dept. Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC).
  • 2002-2008: Professor of Developmental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Utrecht.
  • 2007 - Radcliffe Fellow/visiting professor, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, USA.  Engineering cardiac grafts.
  • 1993-2008: Senior staff scientist (Tenured), group leader, Hubrecht Institute (KNAW), Utrecht: TGFβ and BMP signalling in mouse development; cardiomyogenesis and vasculogenesis in mouse and human (embryonic) stem cells.
  • 1985-1993: Tenured staff scientist, Hubrecht Institute (KNAW), Utrecht. Developmental biology, Differentiation and stem cells
  • 1981-1984: Postdoctoral fellowship (fixed term) Hubrecht Laboratory from Shell International Research. “Neuroblastoma and embryonal carcinoma cells as screens for teratogens.
  • 1978-1980: Postdoctoral fellowship (fixed term) from the Royal Society, UK. “Ion transport, differentiation and the cell cycle in neuroblastoma cells”
  • 1974-1978: PhD in Biophysics, University of London, U.K. Ultrasound in wound healing.                        
  • 1971-1974: BSc. (Honours) in Physics, Electronics, Mathematics, University of Nottingham, U.K.

Prizes and honourable appointments

International prizes/Awards/Academy memberships

  • Radcliffe Fellowship, Harvard University (2007)
  • Royal Society Fellowship, UK (1978, 1979)
  • Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) (elected 2010)
  • Hugo van de Poelgeest Prize 2014 for Animal Alternatives
  • Hans Bloemendaal Medal 2014 for innovative interdisciplinary research

National activities

  • Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) (2010-   )
  • Member of the governing board of the Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (2011- 2015)
  • Member of the governing board of ZonMW (Netherlands Medical Research Council) (2008-2017)
  • Member of the Netherlands Central Committee for Research on Humans (CCMO) (2005-2014).
  • Member of the National Health Advisory Committee (Gezondheids Raad) on Trend Analysis Biotechnology (2009- )
  • Chair of the National Science Council (NWO ) “Zenith” and “Horizon” grant evaluation committees.
  • Member of the ter Meulen Fonds (KNAW) selection committee.
  • Selection committee for the Netherlands Research Council for large scale facilities (2011-2012)
  • Chair of the selection committee for the Heineken Prize for Medicine 2012 and 2014
  • Public and patient advocate lectures/science cafes on the risks of stem cell tourism: rotary clubs, Diabetes Fund, Heart Foundation, Young Onset Parkinson group, Huntington Disease group.

International activities

  • Member of the board of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (2008-2015)
  • President of the International Society of Differentiation (2010-2012).
  • Journals: Editor in chief: Stem Cell Reports; former Deputy editor in chief: Stem Cell Research; Editorial Board of Cell Stem Cells, Stem Cells (Lead reviewer), Current Stem Cell Res. and Therapy, Cardiovascular Research, Molecular Therapy and Differentiation; Associate Editor of the International Journal of Developmental Biology.
  • Member of the Scientific Advisory Boards of the New York Stem Cell Foundation, EU ESTOOLS (Chair); the International Society for Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia.(HHT), CellCure (biotech company developing stem cell therapy for macular degeneration), EU FP7 programme on hematopoiesis; EU IMI StemBANCC,
  • Member of the Wellcome Trust Committee, UK (2002-2006) “Molecules, Genes, Cells” and ad hoc specialist committee member (2012).
  • Netherlands scientific representative of the International Stem Cell Initiative (ISCI)  (2007-  )
  • Member of the NWO Roadmap selection committee 2012, 2014
  • Member of the ERC Starters grant selection committee (2012- )
  • Programme committee/organizer of the following (selected) conferences: ISSCR 2013, 2015, 2017; DSSCR 2011- date; ISD 2012; De Snoo 2015; Keystone 2016, 2018.

Professor Developmental Biology

  • Faculteit Geneeskunde
  • Divisie 4
  • Anatomie en Embryologie

Work address

LUMC Research Building
Einthovenweg 20
2333 ZC Leiden
Room number S1-P

Contact

  • Gurdon Institute (UK) Founding/Associate editor of Stem Cell Reports
  • Hubrecht Institute (NL) Founding/Associate editor of Stem Cell Reports
  • Sartorius bv, Mogrify (UK) Scientific advisory boards
  • Universiteit Twente Visiting professor
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