Geert Kops, Professor of Molecular Tumor Cell Biology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands, has been awarded the KNCV Gouden Medaille (Gold Medal) 2013 by the Royal Dutch Chemical Society (KNCV, Koninklijke Nederlandse Chemische Vereniging). The award was presented during the conference “CHAINS 2014”, taking place on November 17–18, 2014, in Veldhoven, The Netherlands.
The KNCV Gold Medal has been awarded annually since 1963, and is the major Dutch prize honoring researchers who have distinguished themselves in the field of chemical research in the broadest sense.
Geert Kops received his PhD 2001 from Utrecht University, The Netherlands, after which he pursued postdoctoral studies with Don Cleveland, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, La Jolla, CA, USA. He returned to the Netherlands in 2005, and works as Professor of Molecular Tumor Cell Biology in a shared appointment between the department of Molecular Cancer Research and the department of Medical Oncology at the University Medical Center Utrecht. He has received the NVBMB prize 2004 and an ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grant from the European Research Council in 2009.
Kops’ research focuses on the origins of cancer, specifically the molecular principles of chromosome separation during cell division, and enzymes that are essential to this process.
Selected Publications:
- Conditional targeting of MAD1 to kinetochores is sufficient to reactivate the spindle assembly checkpoint in metaphase,
Timo E. F. Kuijt, Manja Omerzu, Adrian T. Saurin, Geert J. P. L. Kops,
Chromosoma 2014, 123, 471–480.
DOI: 10.1007/s00412-014-0458-9 - Distinct phosphatases antagonize the p53 response in different phases of the cell cycle,
Indra A. Shaltiel, Melinda Aprelia, Adrian T. Saurin, Dipanjan Chowdhury, Geert J. P. L. Kops, Emile E. Voest, René H. Medema,
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2014, 111, 7313–7318.
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1322021111 - Chromosome Segregation Errors as a Cause of DNA Damage and Structural Chromosome Aberrations,
Aniek Janssen, Marja van der Burg, Karoly Szuhai, Geert J. P. L. Kops, René H. Medema,
Science 2011, 333, 1895–1898.
DOI: 10.1126/science.1210214 - Elevating the frequency of chromosome mis-segregation as a strategy to kill tumor cells,
Aniek Janssen, Geert J. P. L. Kops, René H. Medema,
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2009, 106, 19108–19113.
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0904343106 - Mps1 Phosphorylates Borealin to Control Aurora B Activity and Chromosome Alignment,
Nannette Jelluma, Arjan B. Brenkman, Niels J. F. van den Broek, Carin W. A. Cruijsen, Maria H. J. van Osch, Susanne M.A. Lens, René H. Medema, Geert J. P. L. Kops,
Cell 2008, 132, 233–246.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2007.11.046
