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.
Presence of On-Target Resistant Mutation in Pre-Treatment Samples of ALK Fusion Gene Positive Lung Cancer Patients
Published in: Cancers
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10.3390/cancers17071090
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A subset of ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients relapse on ALK inhibitor (ALKi) treatment due to on-target resistance mutations affecting the tyrosine kinase domain. Objective: In this study, we investigated the presence of minor resistant clones in pre-treatment tissue samples and assessed their predictive value for subsequent resistance mechanisms. Methods: Using the highly sensitive digital droplet (dd)PCR technique, we analyzed 40 tissue samples obtained from 17 patients who had developed on-target resistance mutations after receiving ALKi between 2013 and 2022. We focused on 10 on-target ALKi...
miRNA-dependent resistance mechanisms to anti-hormonal therapies in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer patients
Published in: Molecular therapy. Oncology
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10.1016/j.omton.2025.200941
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The estrogen receptor (ERα) is expressed in 70%-80% of breast cancers and is a target of endocrine therapy. However, resistance to endocrine therapy poses a significant clinical challenge. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as critical players in oncogenesis and as modulators of therapy response. This review provides an overview of miRNAs that modulate anti-hormonal drug responses. We identified 56 miRNAs associated with resistance to endocrine therapy. These miRNAs had a total of 40 proven target genes that were grouped based on their function under currently known resistance mechanisms, including...
Molecular profiling of cell-free DNA from classic Hodgkin lymphoma patients identifies potential prognostic clusters and corresponds with disease dynamics
Published in: Annals of Hematology
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10.1007/s00277-025-06328-8
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Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) analysis has advantages over tissue analysis for molecular profiling of classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) at diagnosis and offers additional opportunities for sensitive non-invasive disease tracking during treatment. The aim of this study is to correlate cfDNA based molecular profiling with disease characteristics including serum Thymus and Activation Regulated Chemokine (TARC) levels and FDG-PET imaging, which are established markers of disease assessment. cfDNA isolated from plasma samples of 42 cHL patients was analyzed using low coverage whole genome and targeted next-generation sequencing. Patients were clustered in...
Integrating genetic subtypes with PET scan monitoring to predict outcome in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Published in: Nature Communications
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10.1038/s41467-024-55614-y
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Next Generation Sequencing-based subtyping and interim- and end of treatment positron emission tomography (i/eot-PET) monitoring have high potential for upfront and on-treatment risk assessment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients. We performed Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) and LymphGen genetic subtyping for the HOVON84 (n = 208, EudraCT-2006-005174-42) and PETAL (n = 204, EudraCT-2006-001641-33) trials retrospectively combined with DFCI genetic data (n = 304). For all R-CHOP treated patients (n = 592), C5/MCD- and C2/A53-subtypes show significantly worse outcome independent of the international prognostic index. For all subtypes, adverse prognostic value of i/eot-PET-positive status is confirmed....
Matías S Mendeville, Jurriaan Janssen, G Tjitske Los-de Vries, Erik van Dijk, Julia Richter, Marcel Nijland, Margaretha G M Roemer, Phylicia Stathi, Nathalie J Hijmering, Reno Bladergroen, Diego A Pelaz, Arjan Diepstra, Corinne J Eertink, Coreline N Burggraaff, Yongsoo Kim, Pieternella J Lugtenburg, Anke van den Berg, Alexandar Tzankov, Stefan Dirnhofer, Ulrich DührsenAndreas Hüttmann, Wolfram Klapper, Josée M Zijlstra, Bauke Ylstra, Daphne de Jong
Core regions in immunoglobulin heavy chain enhancers essential for survival of non-Hodgkin lymphoma cells are identified by a CRISPR interference screen
Published in: Haematologica
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10.3324/haematol.2023.284672
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Chromosomal translocations in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) result in activation of oncogenes by placing them under the regulation of immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) super-enhancers. Aberrant expression of translocated oncogenes induced by enhancer activity can contribute to lymphomagenesis. The role of the IGH enhancers in normal B-cell development is well established, but knowledge regarding the precise mechanisms of their involvement in control of the translocated oncogenes is limited. The goal of this project was to define the critical regions in the IGH regulatory elements and identify enhancer RNAs (eRNA). We...
Marta Elżbieta Kasprzyk, Weronika Sura, Marta Podralska, Marta Kazimierska, Annika Seitz, Wojciech Łosiewski, Tomasz Woźniak, Jeroen E J Guikema, Arjan Diepstra, Joost Kluiver, Anke Van den Berg, Natalia Rozwadowska, Agnieszka Dzikiewicz-Krawczyk