His main research interests are the identification of molecular, cell biological and epigenetic markers (1) to predict lymph node metastasis in patients with primary cancer of the oral cavity, (2) to predict response to (chemo) radiotherapy in head & neck cancer and cervical cancer; (3) to identify hypermethylated biomarkers as a novel potential diagnostic tool for early detection of cervical cancer; (4) to investigate the molecular mechanisms of resistance against targeted therapy; and (5) to develop new assays for the detection of circulating tumor DNA in cell-free plasma. He collaborates intensively with the departments of Gynaecological Oncology, Pulmonary Oncology, Maxillofacial Surgery and ENT within the UMCG. His latest research interest is the implementation of the detection and monitoring of tumor response and resistance to TKI-treatment in GIST and to TKI-/immunotherapy in NSCLC using mutation testing by digital droplet PCR and innovative NGS approaches in ctDNA from blood plasma. His research is embedded in the Cancer Research Center Groningen of the research institute of the UMCG and he acts as a principal investigator for several postdoctoral and PhD-student projects.

Besides projects supported by cancer foundations (KWF/Dutch Cancer Society, Cancer-ID, ZonMW and CTMM/Center for Translational Molecular Medicine), between 2012-2020 he has several collaborations with biotech companies (MDXHealth/Oncomethylome, Abbott, Astrazeneca, Invitae/Archer, Bayer, Pfizer, Biocartis, BMS, Bio-Rad, Roche, Agena Bioscience, CC Diagnostics, Boehringer Ingelheim). He is an active member of the Dutch Society of Pathology, American Association of Cancer Research, the Association of Molecular Pathology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, European Society of Pathology, Dutch Society of Oncology; section of Clinical, Molecular and Experimental Pathology, among others.

Within the department of Pathology he is the head of the Laboratory for Molecular Pathology performing molecular testing for clinicians at the UMCG and the North part of the Netherlands. Since 1997 he is active in several (inter)national committees on implementing molecular diagnostic pathology. He is the founder and active member of the national committee Molecular Diagnostic in Pathology and the “landelijke Vereniging voor Moleculaire Diagnostiek in de Gezondheidszorg”. He co-authored several guidelines on molecular pathology, is an active member in the Quality Control group organizing annual national proficiency testing as well as assessing EQA on both clinical tissues and cell-free plasma samples (for SKML, QCMD, Euroclonality, IQNPath and ESP) and acts regular upon invitation of companies in Molecular Pathology as consultant or advisor regarding new development in molecular diagnostics. He also performed external audits as expert in Molecular Pathology for the Raad van Accreditatie on ISO15189. More recently, he is senior expert/advisor for Molecular Pathology for cieBAG, ZIN/VWS, zorgverzekeringen, missiePTO, IKNL-platform PTO in the Nehterlands.

Between 2012-2020 (31-12-2020) he received honoraria for expertise or scientific advisory board/consultancy (on request) from MSD/Merck, AstraZeneca, Roche, Pfizer, Novartis, Bayer, BMS, Lilly, Amgen, Qiagen, BioCartis, Illumina, Agena Bioscience, CC Diagnostics, QCMD, ESP, IQNPATH, Cancer-ID, Janssen Cilag (Johnson&Johnson), Diaceutics (all fees to UMCG)

Between 2012-2020 (31-12-2020) he received speaker’s fee (on invitation) from Bio-Rad, Abbott, Novartis, Roche, Biocartis, Agena Bioscience, Illumina, Pfizer, Astrazeneca (all fees to UMCG)

Between 2012-2020 (31-12-2020) he received unrestricted project grants (financial and/or in kind) from MDXHealth/Oncomethylome, Pfizer, Biocartis, Cancer-ID, BMS, Astrazeneca, Invitae/Archer, Bayer, Bio-Rad, Roche, Agena Bioscience, CC Diagnostics, Boehringer Ingelheim, Qiagen, Promega, TATAA (all fees to UMCG)

Between 2012-2020 (31-12-2020) he received travel reimbursements (on invitation) from Agena Bioscience, BioRad, Abbott, Illumina, Astrazeneca, Roche and Hologic