Iris van 't Erve

I am passionate about unraveling molecular mechanisms that drive human diseases, especially cancer. To pursue this interest, I earned my BSc and MSc degrees in Nutrition and Health at Wageningen University, where I specialized in nutrition and cancer. Building on this foundation, I pursued a second MSc degree in Molecular Life Sciences, further honing my understanding of molecular biology.
After gaining experience in research environments focused on fundamental biology, I knew I wanted to explore translational research further. This led me to pursue a PhD project on analyzing cell-free DNA molecules in the blood of cancer patients to personalize cancer treatment. In 2020, I applied for and was awarded the Marina van Damme Grant, which allowed me to expand my expertise in bioinformatics and genomic data analyses. Today, as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine, I’m focused on understanding why immunotherapy is effective for some lung cancer patients but not others.
Looking ahead, my ambition is to establish and lead my own research line, focused on developing blood-based biomarkers for early cancer detection, ultimately contributing to reducing cancer mortality rates.