VU University Medical Center 5 articles published in JoVE Cancer Research Comprehensive Protocol to Sample and Process Bone Marrow for Measuring Measurable Residual Disease and Leukemic Stem Cells in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Jacqueline Cloos*1,2, Jeffrey R. Harris*3, Jeroen J.W.M. Janssen1, Angele Kelder1, F. Huang3, Gerrit Sijm1, Maike Vonk1, Alexander N. Snel1, Jennifer R. Scheick1, Willemijn J. Scholten1, Jannemieke Carbaat-Ham1, Dennis Veldhuizen1, Diana Hanekamp1, Yvonne J.M. Oussoren-Brockhoff1, Gertjan J.L. Kaspers2,4, Gerrit J. Schuurhuis1, A. Kate Sasser3, Gert Ossenkoppele1 1Department of Hematology, VU University Medical Center, 2Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, VU University Medical Center, 3Janssen Research & Development, LLC, 4Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology Detection of minimal or measurable residual disease (MRD) is an important prognostic biomarker for refining risk assessment and predicting relapse in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). These comprehensive guidelines and recommendations with best practices for consistent and accurate identification and detection of MRD, may aid in making effective AML treatment decisions. Developmental Biology Streamlined 3D Cerebellar Differentiation Protocol with Optional 2D Modification Dwayne B. Holmes1, Vivi M. Heine1,2 1Department of Pediatrics/Child Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Medical Center, 2Department of Complex Trait Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam We describe a simplified 3D differentiation protocol for hPSCs, using defined medium and reduced growth factors, capable of generating cell aggregates with early neuroepithelial structures and positive for cerebellar-associated markers, as well as an optional 2D modification for differentiating cells as a monolayer to generate functional neurons. Cancer Research Four-color Fluorescence Immunohistochemistry of T-cell Subpopulations in Archival Formalin-fixed, Paraffin-embedded Human Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Samples Simone Punt1, Robert J. Baatenburg de Jong2, Ekaterina S. Jordanova1,3 1Department of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3Center for Gynecological Oncology Amsterdam, VU Medical Center Multiparameter fluorescence immunohistochemistry can be used to assess the number, relative distribution, and localization of immune cell populations in the tumor microenvironment. This manuscript describes the use of this technique to analyze T-cell subpopulations in oropharyngeal cancer. Cancer Research Using RNA-sequencing to Detect Novel Splice Variants Related to Drug Resistance in In Vitro Cancer Models Rocco Sciarrillo1,2,3, Anna Wojtuszkiewicz1, Irsan E. Kooi4, Valentina E. Gómez3, Ugo Boggi5, Gerrit Jansen6, Gert-Jan Kaspers1,7, Jacqueline Cloos*1, Elisa Giovannetti*3,8,9 1Department of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, VU University Medical Center, 2Department of Hematology, VU University Medical Center, 3Department of Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Center, 4Department of Clinical Genetics, VU University Medical Center, 5Division of General and Transplant Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana, Universita’ di Pisa, 6Amsterdam Immunology and Rheumatology Center, VU University Medical Center, 7Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, 8Cancer Pharmacology Lab, AIRC Start-Up Unit, University of Pisa, 9Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, CNR-Nano Here we describe a protocol aimed at investigating the impact of aberrant splicing on drug resistance in solid tumors and hematological malignancies. To this goal, we analyzed the transcriptomic profiles of parental and resistant in vitro models through RNA-seq and established a qRT-PCR based method to validate candidate genes. Behavior Experimental Research Examining How People Can Cope with Uncertainty Through Soft Haptic Sensations Femke van Horen1, Thomas Mussweiler2 1Marketing Department, VU University, 2Social Psychology Department, University of Cologne To date research has focused on cognitive strategies people adopt to cope with uncertainty. This research examines instead an experiential way of dealing with uncertainty and introduces a set of experimental methods showing how the experience of haptic softness can serve as a tool to deal with uncertainty.