Self-screen B.V.

Self-screen (founded in 2008 as a spin-off company from the VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands) is a leading authority in Europe on cervical cancer research and detection, with extensive experience in biomarker discovery and clinical application thereof. Self-screen has developed both HPV-Risk and PreCursor-M+. The technical know-how and research competences of the scientific team (Prof Meijer (CEO), Dr Steenbergen (SSO), Dr Heideman (SSO)) have resulted in many publications and a great reputation within the field of HPV and cervical cancer. The scientific teammembers are renowned as top researchers in their field and occupy positions in advisory boards or speaker’s bureaus of different diagnostic companies (Roche, Qiagen, Gen-probe, Seegene, Abbott, BioGreiner). Prof Meijer has been an advisor of the Health Council of the Netherlands and received the ZonMw Parel award for the innovative nature of Precursor-M+. RISCC will allow Self-Screen to complement its portfolio in the screening and diagnostic field of cervical cancer. Self-screen will be involved in workpackage 2, given the expertise in methylation testing.

Prof. Dr. Meijer

Chris Meijer is a professor in Pathology, and co-founder and CEO of Self-screen B.V.. He is a renowned person in the field, and holds a long track record in clinical cervical cancer research. He received his medical doctor degree at the State University in Leiden in 1972. After his PhD at the VU University Amsterdam in 1971, he received his training as a pathologist at the State University in Leiden (1973 to 1977, board certified in 1977) and is certified medical immunologist (1981). From 1977-1980 he was associate professor of pathology at the department of Pathology Leiden university medical center and from 1980-1982 Pathologists at the Stichting Delfste ziekenhuizen and head of the research unit of both the pathology and microbiology departments. From 1983-2009, he was Head and Director of the Department of Pathology at the VU University medical center, Amsterdam. From 1992 to 2002 he was also Director of the Oncology Research Institute at VU University. As chairman or member he has served on many boards of committees advising in the field of oncology and pathology. Chris was also the principal investigator of large clinical trials investigating the effect of screening by HPV. He has initiated numerous fruitful academic-industry collaborations in the field of cervical cancer diagnostics. In addition, he was responsible for the successful exit of his first company Viropath. He is (co)author of over 950 international (peer reviewed) papers in his area of expertise, with many publications in high-quality journals such as New England journal of medicine, Nature, Lancet, Blood, Int. J. of Cancer and Cancer Research. Presently, he acts in the international board of Int.J cancer, J.of Pathology, and Histopathology. For his work on clinical research in Pathology in the field of Non-Hodgkin lymphomas and HPV and cervical cancer he is awarded by the Marie Parijs prize 1980, the Van Vlissingen prize (1999), the Eurogin Distinguished Services Award (2006), the Doniack award from the Pathology Society of Great Britain and Ireland (2010), the Presidential medal from the British division of the international academy of Pathology (2010) and the Pompe award from the Dutch Pathology society (2012). He is honorary member of the Dutch pathology society and has been awarded by the queen as Knight in the order of the Dutch Lion (Ridder in de orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw). Several patents have been (co)- filed on his name. He has successfully supervised 103 PhD students in their thesis trajectory.

Publications