Endocrine Tumours Group

The Endocrine Tumor Laboratory at Erasmus MC is an internationally recognized center for fundamental, translational, and clinical research in endocrine tumors, dedicated to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and long-term outcomes of patients with pituitary, adrenal, and neuroendocrine tumors. With a long-standing legacy in the field, the laboratory is one of the few centers worldwide with extensive expertise in culturing and functionally characterizing primary endocrine tumor tissues and advanced 3D tumor models.

The laboratory integrates state-of-the-art multi-omics technologies—including genomic, epigenomic, and transcriptomic profiling—with innovative tissue culture systems and comprehensive patient characterization to elucidate the molecular mechanisms driving endocrine tumorigenesis, tumor progression, and hormone hypersecretion. A defining strength of the laboratory is its seamless integration of preclinical and clinical research, where molecular and functional discoveries rapidly inform investigator-initiated early-phase clinical trials. These efforts are supported by extensive biobanking initiatives and deeply phenotyped patient cohorts. The laboratory also plays a leading role in national and international collaborative networks advancing translational endocrine tumor research.

Core research objectives include:
• Elucidating the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying endocrine tumor initiation, progression, and hormonal dysregulation
• Defining tumor–microenvironment interactions that shape immune modulation, stromal remodeling, and therapeutic response
• Identifying molecular drivers of tumor growth, invasiveness, and hormone production
• Discovering diagnostic, prognostic, predictive, and therapeutic biomarkers for endocrine tumors
• Characterizing tumor response, resistance mechanisms, and sensitivity to targeted and systemic therapies
• Uncovering and functionally validating novel therapeutic targets for precision medicine strategies
• Advancing endocrine oncology through integrative multi-omics, AI-enabled analytics, and disease modeling platforms

By integrating cutting-edge molecular and computational sciences with clinically driven investigation, the Endocrine Tumor Laboratory advances precision medicine strategies that improve patient outcomes and transform the clinical management of endocrine tumors.

Members:
• Head of laboratory: Eskeatnaf Mulugeta

• Principal Investigators (PIs):

* Hans Hofland
* Richard Feelders
* Sebastian Neggers
* Julie Refardt
* Layal Chaker
* Wouter de Herder
* Eskeatnaf Mulugeta

• Postdocs:

* Anand Iyer

• PhD students:

* Amber Audhoe
* Angelique Savelberg
* Eva van der Slik
* Helena Vandenbalck
* Hong Zhang
* Jelka Kuiper
* Maryam Mofid
* Mickey Kerolles
* Peifen Zhang
* Romy van der Groef

• Technicians:

* Peter van Koetsveld
* Fadime Dogan

• Master students:

* Mekayla Potgieter (Master molecular medicine program)

* Fedde Dijkstra (master Nanobiology program)

• Bachelor students: