John Hilkens
John Hilkens studied Molecular Sciences at Wageningen University in the Netherlands and received his PhD at the University of Amsterdam studying the biochemistry and clinical application of MUC1. He continued his research in the group of dr. Frank Ruddle at Yale University, USA where he used somatic cell genetics to study endogenous retroviral genes and genes related to retroviral infection. Thereafter he became a group leader at the Netherlands Cancer Institute Amsterdam focusing on the generation of monoclonal antibodies for clinical applications and on the biological function of various cell surface associated mucins, including MUC1, implicated in breast and other cancers. Presently, his research is mainly focusing on the identification and characterization of novel oncogenes and oncogenic pathways involved in breast cancer by insertional mutagenesis. Amongst the newly discovered genes is a novel family of secreted proteins, R-spondins, which are the ligands of stem cell related Lgr proteins.
In 1993 he became a member of the Board of Governors of the International Association for Breast Cancer Research and since 2000 he is Secretary General of the association.
Abstracts this author is presenting: