Colorectal cancer neuroscience lab

The colorectal cancer neuroscience research group at the University of Maastricht is led by Prof. Veerle Melotte @Maastricht, The Netherlands. 

Prof. Veerle Melotte is fascinated by the dialogue between nerves and cancer. Her research career started in colorectal cancer biomarker discovery, where she identified NDRG4 methylation as a biomarker for the early detection of colorectal cancer. This work ultimately contributed to the development of the FDA-approved Cologuard® screening test and sparked her interest in translating fundamental discoveries into applications that can benefit patients. 

Scientific curiosity then led her from the biomarker itself to a broader biological question: why is NDRG4 such a good biomarker for colorectal cancer, and could there be a biological explanation? This question marked the beginning of her journey into cancer neuroscience, as she found that NDRG4 is specifically expressed in the enteric nervous system, the extensive neural network embedded in the gut. Supported by successive NWO Veni and Vidi grants, she developed an independent research line investigating how the nervous system shapes colorectal cancer initiation and progression. 

Today, our group works at the interface of neuroscience, immunology and tumour biology. We combine advanced experimental models, patient-derived material and molecular approaches to unravel the bidirectional communication between nerves, immune cells and cancer cells. Ultimately, we aim to understand whether these neural mechanisms can be exploited to improve patient stratification, prevention or therapy. We find this emerging field of cancer neuroscience particularly exciting because it brings together disciplines that have traditionally operated quite separately and encourages us to look at cancer biology from a different perspective. 

Beyond research, Prof. Veerle Melotte is strongly committed to mentoring and professional development. At Maastricht University, she contributes to the development of mentoring and portfolio-based professional development within Biomedical Sciences and Health Sciences, including in her role as mentor and portfolio coordinator. She particularly enjoys creating environments in which junior researchers can ask questions, explore ideas, learn from one another, build on their strengths, and gain the confidence to find their own scientific direction. 

Finally, she strongly believes that science should not remain within the walls of universities. Valorisation and public engagement are therefore an integral part of how we see our role as scientists, and this vision is shared across our team. We enjoy discussing science with patients, students, children and the general public, and finding ways to make complex biological questions understandable and relevant. Our work on the “brain in the gut” and colorectal cancer, for example, received the Dutch Klokhuis Science Prize, bringing cancer neuroscience to a young national audience. For us, communicating science and translating scientific discoveries into societal impact are not activities alongside research; they are an essential part of it.