Torensma

Research interests include immunology, stem cell biology and tissue engineering with a specific focus on cancer stem cells.  Mesenchymal stem cells are studied together with several other groups working on wound healing and biomaterials. Major current projects focus on the characterization of cancer stem cells, the putative role of immune regulating  cells in the outgrowth of ovarian tumors and the contribution of mesenchymal stem cells in wound repair. Ultimate goal is to find proteins expressed by cancer stem cells that are not expressed by more mature tumor cells. This opens the possibility to use these proteins as targets for the immune elimination of those rare cancer stem cells. Secondly, we want to know how tumors paralyze immune cells present in the tumor. Lastly, the contribution of bone marrow derived stem cells to wound healing is studied using novel dedicated biomaterials.

Ruurd Torensma is staff member at the Tumor Immunology department.

• Yigit R, Figdor CG, Zusterzeel PL, Pots JM, Torensma R, Massuger LF. Cytokine analysis as a tool to understand tumour-host interaction in ovarian cancer. Eur J Cancer. 47:1883-9, 2011.

• de Vries IJ, Tel J, Benitez-Ribas D, Torensma R, Figdor CG. Prophylactic vaccines mimic synthetic CpG oligonucleotides in their ability to modulate immune responses. Mol Immunol. 48:810-7, 2011.

• ter Huurne M, Figdor CG, Torensma R. Hematopoietic stem cells are coordinated by the molecular cues of the endosteal niche. StemCells Dev. 19:1131-41.

• van den Berk LC, Roelofs H, Huijs T, Siebers-Vermeulen KG, Raymakers RA, Kögler G, Figdor CG, Torensma R. Cord blood mesenchymal stem cells propel human dendritic cells to an intermediate maturation state and boost interleukin-12 production by mature dendritic cells. Immunology. 128:564-72, 2009.