As a researcher, you have the freedom here to better understand cancer

After studying at both Amsterdam universities and completing a PhD program at Amsterdam UMC, Sanne went to Cambridge. There, she further explored the interaction between cancer cells and healthy cells and conducted research on hereditary colorectal cancer. Since November 2025, she has returned to the Netherlands. At the Princess Máxima Center, she is now a junior group leader with her own research team in Research. The main question for her group: what happens in the very first moments a cancer cell arises? Sanne: ‘If we better understand how cancer starts, in children and adults, we hope to find new ways to detect the disease early and improve treatment.’

Sanne is particularly drawn to the mission of the Máxima Center. ‘Survival rates continue to improve. Because we, as researchers, work closely with the care teams, we can make even greater progress towards 100% cure. As a scientist, I study, among other things, the development of second cancers in adulthood. I recently spoke with a few boys who were running for KiKa. One of them had had cancer as a child. He said he is always aware of the chance that he might get sick again. Experiences like that have a huge impact on someone’s life. As a researcher, I wonder: is a potential second cancer a direct effect of treatment? Or does treatment perhaps trigger cancer cells that were already present in a child, for example due to a specific susceptibility such as a hereditary predisposition? If we understand these mechanisms, we may be able to prevent a second cancer more effectively.’

Sanne loves it when more and more pieces of the puzzle fall into place in a scientific study. ‘Once I have an idea of how something might work, I hardly sleep, so to speak. I just have to continue working on that puzzle. At the Máxima Center, you have all the space to do that, with the best facilities, infrastructure, and technologies you can imagine for research in cancer biology, as well as international collaborations to advance knowledge further.’ Sanne appreciates the freedom to conduct fundamental research. For her, it feels like unraveling mysteries.

'Working on the mission here is not just about care and research,’ she concludes. ‘You notice it as soon as you order something at the coffee bar in the lobby: at the Máxima Center, everyone is truly aligned. Every employee clearly understands what we are working towards. And for those who have just started here, like me, you immediately feel how welcome you are in contributing to that.'