Rene Bernards

Rene Bernards is a part-time Full Professor of Molecular Carcinogenesis at Utrecht University, affiliated with the Netherlands Cancer Institute since 1992. His work focuses on cancer drug development, synthetic lethality mechanisms, and genomic profiling. He co-founded Agendia to commercialize MammaPrint, the first gene expression-based diagnostic for breast cancer, and pioneered shRNA vector technology for functional genomics.

Research Interests: His lab investigates biomarkers of drug response, rational drug combinations leveraging synthetic lethality, and translational oncology. Key areas include targeted therapies for BRAF/MEK mutations, KRAS-driven cancers, and epigenetic modulation strategies.

Awards:

• Spinoza Prize
• Pezcoller Foundation Recognition
• Member of Academia Europea

Grants & Trials: Leads multiple clinical trials testing novel drug combinations. His work bridges basic research and clinical application, particularly in precision oncology.

Labs/Teams: Directs a laboratory at the Netherlands Cancer Institute specializing in functional genomics and translational cancer research.