Jan Paul Medema is Scientific Director en voorzitter van de Research Management Committee van Oncode Institute. Daarnaast is hij groepsleider bij Amsterdam UMC en hoogleraar Experimentele Oncologie en Radiobiologie aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam. Zijn onderzoeksgroep richt zich op de biologie en behandeling van darmkanker, met specifieke aandacht voor heterogeniteit. Daarbij kijken zij naar verschillen binnen tumoren, bepaald door een hiërarchie van kankerstamcellen en klonale evolutie, en naar verschillen tussen tumoren, die samenhangen met verschillende subtypes en mutatieprofielen.

Bertholt Leeftink is Managing Director van Oncode Institute en verantwoordelijk voor strategie, governance en valorisatie. Deze drie pijlers zijn bepalend voor de verdere ontwikkeling van de organisatie. Zijn benoeming onderstreept de ambitie van Oncode Institute om wetenschap en impact nog sterker met elkaar te verbinden. Leeftink brengt ruime ervaring mee op het snijvlak van overheid, innovatie en bedrijfsleven.

Om de strategische afstemming verder te versterken, is Bertholt Leeftink, Managing Director van Oncode Institute, benoemd tot CEO en voorzitter van de Raad van Bestuur van de Oncode Accelerator Foundation. Hij gaat beide organisaties leiden, elk met een eigen focus binnen een gedeelde missie.

Eerder was Leeftink CEO van NRG PALLAS, wereldwijd actief in de productie van medische isotopen, en werkte hij als directeur-generaal Ondernemen en Innovatie bij het Ministerie van Economische Zaken en Klimaat. In die rol speelde hij een belangrijke rol bij de oprichting van Oncode Institute in 2017. Leeftink zet zich actief in voor publiek-private samenwerking, was betrokken bij de oprichting van Invest-NL en heeft brede ervaring binnen de life sciences en daarbuiten. Hij promoveerde in de economie aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam.

Ester is a biomedical scientist by training with experience in both an academic and a biotech environment. She obtained her PhD in the lab of Hans Bos at the UMC Utrecht. She studied signalling routes in cancer biology and continued this line of research at Galapagos in Leiden. In 2010 Ester moved into scientific project management and is managing director of CancerGenomics.nl since 2015. She has been involved with Oncode Institute since its early days and supported the founders in developing the scientific strategy. In her current role as Programme Manager, Ester supports the Scientific Director and Research Management Committee and is responsible for all programmes directly related to supporting research and the link to the clinic. This includes managing dedicated funds for clinical proof of concept projects and large equipment and technology applications.

As Head of Communication & PR at Oncode Institute, I share the story of our research and mission. My focus is on clear, accessible communication that shows how our science contributes to better outcomes for patients. With 15+ years of experience in communication and PR, I strongly believe in the power of well-crafted communication to drive impact. I’m proud to support a mission that truly matters by helping connect researchers, partners, and the public with the importance and progress of our work.

Veerle Fleskens is Head of Strategy and Stakeholder Management and member of the Management Team at Oncode Institute. She leads strategic planning and stakeholder engagement to align the institute’s scientific ambitions with societal needs and funding opportunities. With a background in molecular biology and experience across academia, consultancy and innovation management, Veerle brings both scientific depth and strategic vision. She is dedicated to building strong collaborations across research institutes, hospitals, industry and government to help Oncode Institute accelerate the translation of discoveries into better outcomes for people affected by cancer.

Soumela’s educational background is in Political Science (MSc). Soumela has a demonstrated history of working within international (political) organizations and diverse branches supporting management and teams. At Oncode Institute, Soumela assists the Oncode Managing Board and Management Team by performing business operational, stakeholder management support, and administrative tasks as well as office and event management. In addition, given her technology savvy skills, she is performing as the Oncode ICT superuser.

Carola has over 15 years of HR experience, in various roles and companies. With this background, she is eager to support the human side of the organization within Oncode Institute. If the employees feel supported, they can do their best job, an important one, in cancer research.

Anoushka is a biomedical scientist by training with a Masters in Biology of Disease from Utrecht University and a specialization in Immunology from the UMCU. Drawn to Oncode Institute's mission and collaborative spirit, she joined as a Junior Programme Manager in 2025, to help translate scientific excellence into societal impact. Anoushka thrives on connecting people and fostering collaboration. As lead of the Drug Repurposing Programme, she hopes to facilitate the exploration of new therapeutic opportunities from existing medicines for patients who urgently need them in a cost-effective and time-efficient way. Anoushka is working with fellow Oncode researchers to highlight innovative technologies within the community, with the aim to foster connections and promote knowledge exchange. She also provides support for other programmes and initiatives in the Research & Community Support Team.

Colette ten Hove is a molecular biologist by training, with a specialization in developmental biology. Colette has broad experience in research, education, and coaching. In 2020, she joined Oncode Institute, where she drives its patient engagement programme, dedicated to incorporating the patient’s perspective into Oncode Institute and its research teams. She regularly lectures to educate researchers on how to involve patients in fundamental research and continuously looks out for new opportunities to connect and collaborate with other patient engagement initiatives, with the goal of building a patient engagement network in which (future) researchers, clinicians and cancer patients, their relatives and patient representatives can meet and learn from each other’s expertise and perspective. Additionally, Colette leads the training & mentoring programme at Oncode Institute.

Ester is a biomedical scientist by training with experience in both an academic and a biotech environment. She obtained her PhD in the lab of Hans Bos at the UMC Utrecht. She studied signalling routes in cancer biology and continued this line of research at Galapagos in Leiden. In 2010 Ester moved into scientific project management and is managing director of CancerGenomics.nl since 2015. She has been involved with Oncode Institute since its early days and supported the founders in developing the scientific strategy. In her current role as Programme Manager, Ester supports the Scientific Director and Research Management Committee and is responsible for all programmes directly related to supporting research and the link to the clinic. This includes managing dedicated funds for clinical proof of concept projects and large equipment and technology applications.

Mariëlle has a background in international tradeshow and event management and Marcom project management and worked many years at Philips Healthcare / Lighting/ Electronics and several agencies. Since October 2019 she is event manager for Oncode Institute and responsible for the organisation of the Oncode Annual Meeting, the Annual Conference (KIT meeting) as well as smaller meetings, workshops and events. 

Marlinde is senior Programme manager at the Oncode Institute. She leads the Clinical Proof of Concept program, supporting the translation of fundamental innovations into new diagnostics and treatments for cancer patients. She coordinates a team of experts to support and advise Oncode researchers and clinicians who together apply for funding within this programme. Marlinde also fosters connections between clinicians, researchers, and patient representatives through the organization of (clinical) workshops and meetings.
Marlinde is a biomedical scientist by training. She obtained her PhD at the Pediatric Oncology department at the University Medical Center Groningen, where she studied cerebellum development and medulloblastoma. In 2019, she joined the Oncode Institute.

As Head of Communication & PR at Oncode Institute, I share the story of our research and mission. My focus is on clear, accessible communication that shows how our science contributes to better outcomes for patients. With 15+ years of experience in communication and PR, I strongly believe in the power of well-crafted communication to drive impact. I’m proud to support a mission that truly matters by helping connect researchers, partners, and the public with the importance and progress of our work.

Alexander’s educational background is in physics (BSc) and nanoscience (MSc). His growing fascination for biology and medicine led him to pursue a PhD in biophysics at the University of Groningen. Subsequently, he decided to continue his journey in the Life Sciences branch as a Business Consultant. In this role he was helping both academic and industrial parties to obtain funding, establish partnerships, build consortia, conduct market research and develop commercialisation plans. At Oncode, Alexander leverages this expertise to support Oncode Researchers with company creation, acquiring funding, establishing collaborations and with other valorization strategies, ultimately creating impact for society.

Alina’s educational background is in psychology (BSc) and occupational health psychology (MSc). Being familiar with statistics and datasets, Alina worked in research assistant and data analysis jobs in both commercial and educational environments. At Oncode, Alina assists the Oncode Valorization Team with all necessary (legal) administrative support by performing data entry and data management tasks. In addition, she is responsible for the prevention officer tasks, given her academic background in psychology.

Amber Liu is a Business Developer at Oncode Institute. With a clinical pharmacy background from the University of Toronto, she has taken her patient-centric perspective in scouting for novel innovations in life sciences with high impact potential and supported their commercial development. Prior to Oncode, she developed funding strategies, business cases, conducted market assessments and new business development activities at strategic funding consultancies in The Netherlands. While at a health tech accelerator, her focus was on validating the business case of a given innovation and testing the value proposition with end-users. At Oncode, Amber facilitates the translation of research into clinical applications through identification and evaluation of innovative technologies or new therapies. This involves developing and implementing effective valorization strategies, fostering strong stakeholder relationships, and proactively engaging industry partners to pursue collaborative opportunities.

Dana is a Business Developer at the Oncode institute since the start of 2024. For the first year she was based at the Oncode Accelerator, leading project evaluation and due diligence for preclinical and early clinical assets and providing strategic recommendations. Before joining Oncode, she worked as a Business Developer at Cancer Research Horizons, within the University of Birmingham Enterprise, supporting researchers at Universities of Birmingham, Nottingham, Sheffield, York for a period of five years, gaining knowledge and experience in licensing and spinout formation. Her experience at Cancer Research UK prior to transitioning to a business role involved drug development with AstraZeneca during her postdoctoral research at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre. Her background is molecular and cellular biology (BSc and MSc at the University of Zagreb), further focusing on cancer biology during her PhD at the University of Strasbourg. She currently supports the Oncode Investigators in all stages of project development and leads on all aspects of valorization strategy and translation activities, aimed at creating impact for patients.

With an educational background in law, Emil has gained over 25 years of experience as a patent attorney and business developer. In his capacity as business development manager at the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) he drafted and negotiated licensing, R&D and IP agreements and helped creating two start-up companies. He joined ActoGeniX as general counsel and was responsible for all business development, legal and IP matters. The company raised a total of €45MM in three consecutive financing rounds. Emil is a registered European patent attorney and acts as CEO of Allero Therapeutics. At Oncode Emil helps to translate fundamental research to the market by developing and executing IP strategies, advising and assisting in company creation and building and maintaining stakeholder relations.

Harma has an MSc in Biotechnology and a PhD in Cancer Genomics. Having worked more than 15 years in Life Science industry at Philips and Cergentis, she has extensive experience in commercial development, while always maintaining a close connection to research. As a Business Developer at Oncode she will use this expertise to support Oncode Investigators with all valorization strategies that can make their research impactful for patients as soon as possible.

With more than fifteen years of experience as legal secretary and paralegal in a corporate, commercial environment, Mariëlle provides Oncode with all necessary legal (administrative) support, acts as secretary to the Supervisory Boards of both Oncode Institute and Oncode B.V., acts as the valorization and organizational coordinator and manages the Technology Development programme.

Saharla Ahmed joined the Valorization Team in 2020 as a Business Development Manager. Before joining Oncode, Saharla worked as senior consultant at Catalyze BV., where she supported and advised a range of scientists and companies across the life sciences industry. Prior to that, she worked in the Innovations Division of the Wellcome Trust in the U.K., where she was responsible for managing an international portfolio of early-stage product development programmes covering therapeutics, vaccines, diagnostics and medical devices. Saharla has a BSc in Genetics and a MSc in Intellectual Property Law, from Queen Mary University of London.

Shobhit is the Fund Manager of Oncode Oncology Bridge Fund. Prior to joining Oncode Bridge Fund, he was an early stage investor at UvA/AMC Ventures for 4 years, where he made investments in tech and life science spin offs from the two institutions. Before UvA ventures, Shobhit supported early stage ventures with fundraising and business strategy at ACE incubator in Amsterdam. He trained as a pharmacologist at the University of Oxford and started his drug discovery career at Pfizer UK. Shobhit holds a PhD in immunology from the University of Amsterdam.

Valentina joined the Valorization Team in 2023 as Intellectual Property Analyst at Oncode Institute, where she helps transform scientific discoveries into innovations that advance the fight against cancer. Working closely with business developers, she helps shaping IP strategies that best support each project’s path toward real-world impact.

Originally from Colombia, Valentina holds a degree in Biotechnology and Neuroscience and earned her PhD in Medical Biosciences at Radboud University in the Netherlands, where she used human-relevant tissue models to study novel anticancer protein therapies. With a strong background in translational biomedical research, she is passionate about bridging science and society—connecting groundbreaking discoveries with opportunities to improve patients’ lives and contributing to Oncode’s mission to outsmart cancer.

Over 17 years of experience in Molecular Biology, Yuva completed her MSc. degree at EMBL Heidelberg and conducted her PhD research on the topic of Chromatin and Biomedical Genetics at Hubrecht Institute as a Marie-Curie fellow. Interested in clinical aspects of the research, she joined to oncology specialized clinical research organization SMS-oncology, gaining experience both in clinical trial management (early phase paediatric and adult trials) and Business Development aspects. At Oncode, she is driving the industry engagement programme to enable new alliances and collaborations between Oncode and biopharma to fast-forward research and innovation. Furthermore, working closely with Oncode Investigators, she supports technology, clinical and IP assessments for efficiently translating fundamental research into clinical benefit. She is the founder and designer at Art 4 Science, a scientific visualization – graphic design company.