CLINICAL RESEARCH

into cholangiocarcinoma
& pancreatic cancer

LARA HEIJ

Working as a clinician-scientist fulfils me with a great sense of purpose and satisfaction. I aim to combine the responsibility of being an asset to my field as a diagnostic pathologist and navigating the challenging and competitive research field.ย My international collaborations in both the Netherlands and Germany let me experience and enjoy different cultures and languages daily.

RESEARCH

Our research focuses on cholangiocarcinoma, a type of cancer originating from the bile ducts in the liver. We hope that understanding more about the tumor microenvironment will increase patientsโ€™ chances of survival and improve their quality of life. Tumor microenvironment research is a dynamic field in which we mostly study nerve fibers, immune cells, and fibroblasts.

TEAM

Our multidisciplinary team is young and diverse, and we all share the goal of improving cancer survival rates. We use various methods such as wet lab laboratory techniques, computational methods and deep immunoprofiling. We love sharing experience and knowledge and are always open to new collaborations. This is meant to be a team effort in which everyone gets to use their skills and can find joy in their work. We learn from each other here and grow as a team.

FIGURES

The staggering number of yearly cases of cholangiocarcinoma clearly shows why this is such an important field of research. We hope that learning as much as we can about these types of cancer will advance the currently available treatments.

2nd most common primary liver
tumor type

40.000
new cases
each year

>50% recur
within 1 jear

10-30%
Eligible
for surgical resection

PROJECTS & RESEARCH

Lara Heijโ€™s work has given her extensive knowledge of the cancer microenvironment. Follow her journey as she endeavors to further the field of pancreatic cancer and cholangiocarcinoma research.

September 2023
ESOT in Athens: meet up with the Liver transplantation community.
November 2023
Job change alert!

ย I started in my new position as a clinician scientist to combine my clinical work as a pathologist with my research focus in a large university hospital in Germany (UK Essen). Time to get better at speaking German.

January 2024
GASL in Essen. My PhD student Konrad presented our data and a poster.
January 2024
I finished my Habilitation
I finished my Habilitation: after publishing several manuscripts and two years of teaching, I can call myself PD. Dr. med Lara Heij. This was a major achievement in my German integration.
April 2024
The annual meeting of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation in Salt Lake City
The annual meeting of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation in Salt Lake City, Utah USA. I peresent my data on snRNAseq and the tumor microenvironment in Cholangiocarcinoma.
May 2024
Annual meeting of the AMMF in London
Annual meeting of the AMMF in London. At this airport meeting, Roxana presented our data and did great in connecting and discussing the scientific results.
September 2024
BANFF meeting in Paris
November 2024
Research exchange in Pittsburgh UPM
Research exchange in Pittsburgh UPMC, time to discuss liver transplantation research and focus on new research ideas. Thank you Jake and Drew for your hospitality and time!
January 2025
Time to focus on new output!
March 2025
AI for our single cell suspensions and sorting

Using AI for our single cell suspensions and sorting the cells based on morphology. Impressed by new technology and computational algorithms to support our understanding of cells.

May 2025
Paper alert
Multiomic profiling of liver transplant biopsies with interface activity reveals a dominant M1 macrophage immune signature
June 2025
Deep Learning project
Deep Learning project: over 500 histology slides of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients are trained to predict lymph node status based on morphology of the cancer cells and the presence of immune cells. Pre-print coming out soon!

RESEARCH METHODES

Different methods we use

CyTOF

snRNAseq

Nerve Fiber staining

Multiplex imaging

DNA isolation (PCR)

Deep learning

PUBLICATIONS

Learn more about the findings of Lara Heij and her team as they dive deeper into the tumor microenvironment, distinguishing predictive biomarkers and expanding knowledge about the behavior of nerve fibers in cancer cells.

BACKGROUND

Easy to read and stay up to date with new findings, publications and other crucial information relating to the work of Lara Heij and her team.ย 

SOCIAL FEED

Never miss an important event or publication. Let us continue to inspire one another as we work on understanding the nature of these diseases. Please find me on Twitter and follow my work and social life online: @laraheij

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CONTACT

Please contact us if you have any questions concerning our research or if you wish to contribute to this important work through collaboration, resources or funding.