Skip to main content
Anke van den Berg
prof. dr.

I work as a clinical molecular biologist in the department of Pathology. In this function I supervise and implement advanced molecular diagnostic techniques. Within my research line, I focus on the molecular pathogenesis of B-cell Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The specific fields of interest are genomic aberrations, genetic susceptibility, and the role of small and long noncoding RNAs. I have several international collaborations and am PI and co-PI in various projects.

Genome-wide association study of classical Hodgkin lymphoma and Epstein-Barr virus status-defined subgroups
Published in: Journal of the National Cancer Institute
BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence suggests that risk factors for classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) differ by tumor Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) status. This potential etiological heterogeneity is not recognized in current disease classification. METHODS: We conducted a genome-wide association study of 1200 cHL patients and 6417 control subjects, with validation in an independent replication series, to identify common genetic variants associated with total cHL and subtypes defined by tumor EBV status. Multiple logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) assuming a log-additive genetic model...
Kevin Y. Urayama, Ruth F. Jarrett, Henrik Hjalgrim, Arjan Diepstra, Yoichiro Kamatani, Amelie Chabrier, Valerie Gaborieau, Anne Boland, Alexandra Nieters, Nikolaus Becker, Lenka Foretova, Yolanda Benavente, Marc Maynadie, Anthony Staines, Lesley Shield, Annette Lake, Dorothy Montgomery, Malcolm Taylor, Karin Ekstrom Smedby, Rose-Marie AminiHans-Olov Adami, Bengt Glimelius, Bjarke Feenstra, Ilja M. Nolte, Lydia Visser, Gustaaf W. van Imhoff, Tracy Lightfoot, Pierluigi Cocco, Lambertus Kiemeney, Sita H. Vermeulen, Ivana Holcatova, Lars Vatten, Gary J. Macfarlane, Peter Thomson, David I. Conway, Simone Benhamou, Antonio Agudo, Claire M. Healy, Kim Overvad, Anne Tjonneland, Beatrice Melin, Federico Canzian, Kay-Tee Khaw, Ruth C. Travis, Petra H. M. Peeters, Carlos A. Gonzalez, Jose Ramon Quiros, Maria-Jose Sanchez, Jose Maria Huerta, Eva Ardanaz, Miren Dorronsoro, Francoise Clavel-Chapelon, H. Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita, Elio Riboli, Eve Roman, Paolo Boffetta, Silvia de Sanjose, Diana Zelenika, Mads Melbye, Anke van den Berg, Mark Lathrop, Paul Brennan, James D. McKay
Rapid Generation of MicroRNA Sponges for MicroRNA Inhibition
Published in: PLoS ONE
MicroRNA (miRNA) sponges are transcripts with repeated miRNA antisense sequences that can sequester miRNAs from endogenous targets. MiRNA sponges are valuable tools for miRNA loss-of-function studies both in vitro and in vivo. We developed a fast and flexible method to generate miRNA sponges and tested their efficiency in various assays. Using a single directional ligation reaction we generated sponges with 10 or more miRNA binding sites. Luciferase and AGO2-immuno precipitation (IP) assays confirmed effective binding of the miRNAs to the sponges. Using a GFP competition assay we showed...
Joost Kluiver, Johan H. Gibcus, Chris Hettinga, Annelies Adema, Mareike K. S. Richter, Nancy Halsema, Izabella Slezak-Prochazka, Ye Ding, Bart-Jan Kroesen, Anke van den Berg
MiR-17/106b seed family regulates p21 in Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Published in: The Journal of Pathology
Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) is a B cell-derived lymphoma characterized by a minority of malignant Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells that have lost their normal B cell phenotype. Alterations in the cell cycle and apoptosis pathways might contribute to their resistance to apoptosis and sustained cell cycle progression. A key player in both cell cycle arrest and apoptosis is CDKN1A, encoding p21(waf/cip1) (p21). P21 is regulated by p53 and can function as a cell cycle inhibitor when in the nucleus or as an apoptosis inhibitor when localized in the cytoplasm....
Johan H. Gibcus, Bart-Jan Kroesen, Roelof Koster, Nancy Halsema, Debora de Jong, Steven de Jong, Sibrand Poppema, Joost Kluiver, Arjan Diepstra, Anke van den Berg
Multiple HLA class I and II associations in classical Hodgkin lymphoma and EBV status defined subgroups (Retracted article. See vol. 118, pg. 5211, 2011)
Published in: Blood
The pathogenesis of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) involves environmental and genetic factors. To explore the role of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes, we performed a case-control genotyping study in 338 Dutch cHL patients and more than 5000 controls using a PCR-based sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe hybridization approach. HLA-A68 and HLA-DR11 (5) were significantly increased in the cHL patient population compared with the controls. Three class II associations were observed in the EBV- cHL population with an increase of HLA-DR15 (2) and a decrease of HLA-DR4 and HLA-DR7. Allele...
Xin Huang, Kushi Kushekhar, Ilja Nolte, Wierd Kooistra, Lydia Visser, Ilby Bouwman, Niels Kouprie, Gustaaf van Imhoff, Bianca Olver, Richard S. Houlston, Sibrand Poppema, Arjan Diepstra, Bouke Hepkema, Anke van den Berg, R. Veenstra
Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Phase III Study of Docetaxel Plus Carboplatin With Celecoxib and Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression As a Biomarker for Patients With Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: The NVALT-4 Study
Published in: Journal of Clinical Oncology
Purpose Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein expression in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may be not only a prognostic marker but also predictive for COX-2 inhibition. We hypothesized that COX-2 expression is associated with shorter survival and that celecoxib, being a potent COX-2 inhibitor, increases tumor response and survival. Patients and Methods A phase III study was performed in patients with stage IIIb/IV NSCLC who had pathologic confirmation, no prior chemotherapy, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 to 2, and adequate organ function. Treatment consisted of docetaxel...
Harry J. M. Groen, Hannie Sietsma, Andrew Vincent, Monique M. H. Hochstenbag, John W. G. van Putten, Anke van den Berg, Otilia Dalesio, Bonne Biesma, Hans J. M. Smit, Arien Termeer, T. Jeroen N. Hiltermann, Ben E. E. M. van den Borne, Franz M. N. H. Schramel