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Life is sweet: it's all about sugars (glycans) in cell biology
Cartoon by Pearl Lei
Sugars???
All cells are covered in a 'hairy'-sugary coat, with different sugars (glycans). They range from very simple to long extensive complex structures and are officially depicted with coloured symbols. They consist of various carbohydrates: galactose, mannose, fucose. Many are capped by sialic acid (purple diamond).
Glycans are constantly modulated by various enzymes in the circulation (or released from cells). They are key in all processes of life: cell activation, recognition, immune system and in cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
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Biomedical Scientist & Educator
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PhD in Platelet Physiology​​
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Research in Blood & Vessels​​​​
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Laboratory Discoveries->
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Real -World Impact
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Science Communicator
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Student-centred
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Academic and Industry Leader
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Active Mentor
Who am I?
Research Vision
Glycans are present on all circulating blood (immune) cells and the blood vessel wall. Their modulation in the circulation is well regulated and affects health and diseases including cardiovascular diseases and cancer. For example, sialylated tumour cells are prone to metastasis. Knowing more about these mechanisms leads to better diagnosis of patients and treatments.
Professional summary
I am a biomedical cell biologist, originally from the Netherlands, with a Ph.D. in Platelet Physiology, 15 years’ international research experience in fundamental and translational cell biology, and I have experience in teaching across under- and postgraduate programs.
My research has made significant contributions to platelet biology and vascular pathology, integrating academic, clinical, and industry perspectives. I have driven major advances in the characterisation of carbohydrate (glycan) platelet cell-surface markers and their relevance to diagnostic and therapeutic innovation.
My research focuses on fundamental cellular processes including cell clearance, cell death, carbohydrate (glycan)-mediated receptor interactions and immune recognition. I have extensive experience with human cell models, including platelets, primary vascular biology (endothelial cell) progenitor systems. My work also integrates animal models, in which I investigated platelet ageing, phagocytosis, vascular function, and the in vivo consequences of altered glycan expression.
I am passionate about science communication for the public on cardiovascular diseases. I have contributed to teaching across biomedical, molecular biology, and medical science, at multiple institutions. I enjoy teaching at all levels and have extensive experience fostering student independence, experimental design skills, and scientific writing. My teaching philosophy is student-centred and research-informed.
​I currently work as researcher at the ANZAC Research Institute in Sydney, Australia, where I am leading a vascular biology project to understand why patients with blood cancer are prone to cardiovascular disease.
For ~8 years I was a senior leader in Industry, working at the R&D within Australian Red Cross Lifeblood (national blood bank).
I have various leadership positions, in the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis (Co-chair Platelet physiology), leading projects on diagnosis of bleeding disorders, and member education committee ANZSBT and ISTH media based education committee. I was the founding social media and associate editor for Journal of Thrombosis Haemostasis (5 years). I am principal editor of Platelets journal. I am regularly invited to present at major international meetings, including the American Society of Hematology, the Australasian Glycoscience Symposium Joint & Warren Workshop, ISBT, and THANZ, and I have been recognised with multiple awards for research excellence.
Let's talk about Platelets!
The smallest blood cells crucial for bleeding cessation
My research passion is the smallest blood cells, the platelets, which I've been studying for almost 13 years! Platelets are crucial for cessation of bleeding, however have many unexpected roles in cancer, cardiovascular and many other diseases.
Platelets can only be stored for 5-7 days at 22 C. Storing them at colder temperatures inhibits bacterial growth and their decline. My PhD changed the way platelets are stored in blood banks.
At Lifeblood R&D, I studied all factors influencing platelet quality during storage for real-world bleeding patients.
My pioneering work repurposing Tamiflu (used for Influenza/flu) for treatment of bleeding disorder Immune thrombocytopaenia (life-threatening low platelet numbers) has led to diagnostic and treatment tools. The global impact of this work triggered many follow up projects (US, Europe and Australia) and clinical trials and was published in Nature Communications.
I found that antibodies against GPIb (main adhesion receptor on platelets) induced removal of the carbohydrate (glycan) sialic acid on the platelet surface, leading to clearance of platelets by the liver, instead of the spleen.
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