Jaap-Jan Boelens

Dr. Jaap-Jan Boelens is a Clinical Professor and Chief of the Pediatric Transplant and Cellular Therapy Service (TCT) at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK Kids). He specializes in pediatric hematology-oncology, bone marrow transplants, and cellular therapies. With an MD from University Medical Center Utrecht and a PhD from the University of Amsterdam/Academic Medical Center, he has expertise in treating rare disorders like lysosomal storage diseases and leukodystrophies. His research focuses on advancing cord blood transplantation and developing cellular therapies to improve patient outcomes. He has pioneered a European-leading cord blood program and investigates mathematical models predicting immune responses to treatments. Dr. Boelens received the Swammerdam Prize (2015) for cell therapy innovation. He leads clinical trials integrating transplants with novel therapies to reduce treatment side effects while enhancing efficacy.

Education & Training:

• MD: University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands
• PhD: University of Amsterdam/Academic Medical Center
• Residency: Pediatrics at Leiden University Medical Center
• Fellowships: Immunology (Utrecht) and Oncology (Erasmus University)

Research Interests: Dr. Boelens' work combines clinical practice and lab research to advance therapies for pediatric blood disorders. Key areas include cord blood transplantation optimization, cellular therapy development, and computational modeling of immune system responses. His team aims to translate lab discoveries into clinical applications, such as targeted cellular treatments for blood cancers and genetic disorders.

Grants & Clinical Trials: Leads trials evaluating pre-transplant immune suppression for sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia, and investigates emapalumab for pediatric aplastic anemia. His studies emphasize minimizing toxicity while maximizing therapeutic success.

Labs/Teams: Directs a lab focused on cord blood-derived advanced therapies and predictive immune modeling, collaborating internationally on rare disease treatments.