Professor of Surgery with learning assignment Molecular targeted Precision Surgery. Surgical Oncologist and Gastrointestinal Surgeon Head of Green Light Leiden research group. I was awarded with a clinical cancer research award from the Dutch Cancer Society to implement image-guided surgery in daily clinical practice, and involved in several large research projects, including projects funded by the European Union (H2020, ITEA, and ECSEL framework), National Institute of Health (NIH-RO1), Health Holland, Dutch Cancer Society (personal, regular and consortium grants), Dutch Research Council and in the past the Center for Translational Molecular Imaging (CTMM). I am the current president of the EU-Chapter of the international society of fluorescent guided surgery and will be the next global president.

More information about Alexander Vahrmeijer

Professor of Surgery with learning assignment Molecular targeted Precision Surgery.
Surgical Oncologist and Gastrointestinal Surgeon
Head of Green Light Leiden research group.

I was awarded with a clinical cancer research award from the Dutch Cancer Society to implement image-guided surgery in daily clinical practice, and involved in several large research projects, including projects funded by the European Union (H2020, ITEA, and ECSEL framework), National Institute of Health (NIH-RO1), Health Holland, Dutch Cancer Society (personal, regular and consortium grants), Dutch Research Council and in the past the Center for Translational Molecular Imaging (CTMM).

I am the current president of the EU-Chapter of the international society of fluorescent guided surgery and will be the next global president.

Green Light Leiden

As the principal investigator of the Image-Guided Surgery group (Greenlight.nu) I focus on preclinical and clinical studies on intraoperative near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging. The goal of our research is to validate image-guided surgery using clinically available tracers and to clinically translate novel agents in close collaboration with industry or academia (e.g. John Frangioni at Harvard / Curadel, Stephan Rogalla at Stanford, James Basilion at Case Western Reserve University, Jim Delikatny at University of Pennsylvania).

Clinical translation of promising imaging agents will be obtained by designing clever pre-clinical and clinical studies (knowledge-based approach) to obtain proof of principle and proof of concept.  Latter is also part of an ongoing collaboration between Centre for Human Drug Research (CHDR - Prof Koos Burggraaf) and LUMC pharmacy (KFT-IGFL: Martin Pool & Rob Valentijn) focusing on image-guided healthcare and this will provide a fast-track pipeline of targeted agent development to allow bench to bedside translation using a short cycle strategy (including alignment of available LUMC infrastructure).

To facilitate clinical translation of novel developed probes, my group has a very strong collaboration with the CHDR and Ph.D. students are appointed both at LUMC and CHDR. Successful clinical translation using the unique resources (including GMP facility (KFT-IGFL) and Division of Image Processing) available at LUMC has already been achieved for five novel fluorescent imaging agents. In addition, we aim at disseminating this technique to collaborating hospitals all over the world. Part of this strategy is initiating several multicenter trials with both academic and non-academic hospitals, for example the Erasmus Medical Center (EMC), Catharina hospital (Eindhoven), Medisch Centrum Haaglanden, Mass General (Boston), UMASS (Boston), UCSD (San Diego, USA). Our research contributes to the LUMC research profile areas Cancer and Academic Pharma.

Over the next 5 years, the type and number of imaging agents as well as imaging devises studied will be increased with the singular goal of improving patient care. As surgical guidance plays a key role to improve patient outcomes, image fusion (including pre-operatively obtained images) combined with AI and AR will further tailor the surgical procedure and may even allow procedure training before the actual surgical treatment. The latter also fits with our ambition to establish a unique training facility for image-guided procedures including the use of robotics. Our surgical innovations program fits perfectly within the ambition of Medical Delta and its teaching program Clinical Technology. Moreover, my research and training program is aligned with LUMC and ambition to remain a top referral care center and supports the objective of Sustainable Health (including themes described in De Nationale Wetenschapsagenda).

Academic career

Innovative techniques that have changed or influenced practice

Clinical introduction of intra-operative near-infrared fluorescence imaging. From bench to bedside: preclinical studies from 2007 onwards, clinical introduction of imaging using non-targeted indocyanine green in 2009, first-in-human studies using novel, tumor-targeted agents from 2014 onwards. In 2021, FDA approval was obtained for OTL-38 (OnTarget Laboratories, West Lafayette, USA), an agent that was clinically translated by CHDR/LUMC (Gynecology/Surgery).

Real-time perfusion assessment during left sided colorectal resections using indocyanine green to decrease the rate of anastomotic leakage. Results from our RCT (978 patients included) will change left sided colorectal surgery on a global level.

Real-time detection of hepatic metastases during surgery by using indocyanine green as a contrast agent is standard of care at many institutions, including LUMC.

Clinical introduction of a percutaneous technique for isolated liver perfusion in patients suffering from ocular melanoma liver metastases. At present, in the Netherlands, this technique is only available to patients at LUMC and as of mid 2017, this technology is offered as standard of care in LUMC for ocular melanoma patients with liver only metastases.