Godefridus (Frits) Peters

Professor Godefridus (Frits) J. Peters is an internationally reputed scientist in the field of human pharmacology of anticancer drugs (including pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and pharmacogenetics) and was head of the Laboratory Medical Oncology of the Department of Medical Oncology of the VU University Medical Center. He resigned from this position in 2017.



Professor Peters studied biology and chemistry at the University of Nijmegen, obtained his master's degree in biochemistry in 1977 and his Ph.D. in 1982 on the relation between inborn errors and immunodeficiency diseases. He did post-docs at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam and subsequently at the Free University Hospital in Amsterdam under the supervision of Professor H.M. (Bob) Pinedo. In 1986 he received a senior research fellowship of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1989, he was appointed as head of the division of Biochemical Pharmacology, in 1998 as head of the division of Pharmacology and deputy-head of the laboratory, and in 2003 as head of the Laboratory Medical Oncology.

The research of Prof. Peters is focused on translation of preclinical pharmacology of anticancer agents to the clinic. This includes all aspects of drug development of various classes including anti-signalling protein kinase inhibitors, antifolates, antimetabolites, platinum analogs, topoisomerase inhibitors, and taxanes. Prof Peters was involved in several Phase I and 2 studies of drugs now registered for treatment of cancer such as gemcitabine, pemetrexed, erlotinib, while several “failed” clinical studies led to the development of successful drugs in cancer and other areas. Drugs were improved by optimizing drug combinations, proper prodrugs or drug carriers, or by identification of resistance genes as biomarkers. For the latter, analysis of signalling pathways was performed, in relation to expression, mutations and genetic polymorphisms in driver genes, and regulation by miRNAs. Other research interests include regulation of transport (influx and efflux pumps), and metabolism of anticancer drugs, DNA repair, apoptosis and protein processing (proteasome, aminopeptidase, autophagy). These research fields are interconnected by studying the role of phosphorylation by various protein kinases on the function of these pumps (OCTs, MRPs, BCRP). These studies are translated from model systems to the patient and back, in order to provide personalized therapy using predictive biomarkers for selection of the proper drug.

Professor Peters also (co)-organized several meetings such as some Gene to Cure meetings in Amsterdam (on colon, pancreatic, esophageal cancer), several EORTC-PAMM (Pharmacology and Molecular Mechanisms) meetings, meetings on Chemotherapy of Colon Cancer, the combined International/ European Meeting on Purine and Pyrimidine Metabolism and the 13th International Symposium on Chemistry and Biology of Folates and Pteridines, and the 4th meeting of the Folate Receptor Society. He was president of the European Society for the Study on Purine and Pyrimidine Metabolism in Man (ESSPPMM) and helped to transform this society into an international society, the Purine and Pyrimidine Society (PPS) and is secretary/treasurer. He was secretary (2015-2019) and chair of the EORTC-PAMM group (2009-2015) and chair of the Drug Development Committee of this group. He was member of the scientific committee of several international meetings on chemotherapy and translational research, and was/is member of the Scientific Advisory Boards, of (inter)national Cancer Organisations, pharmaceutical companies and review boards of National Science Organizations (INSERM, INCa, CAIXA, FWO, UICC, AACR). 

Education is important in research, since well-educated researchers are the future of cancer research. Prof Peters supervised more than 30 Ph.D. students and over 100 master students and guest scientists from all continents. Teaching varied from bachelor students at the Amsterdam University College to master students in pharmaceutical sciences. He was one of the initiators of the Master in Oncology in 2002 and was chair of the examination committee from 2002-2013.

As of 2021, Prof. Peters has authored/co-authored 605 refereed research papers and reviews, as well as 171 papers/chapters in books and congress proceedings (H-index 96, citations 43912; Google Scholar), he is/was member of >40 editorial boards, and recently initiated a journal devoted to drug resistance, Cancer Drug Resistance. 

Professional Experience:



Medical University of Gdansk

August 2019 - Present

Department of Biochemistry

Gdańsk, Poland

Professor

Setting up a line on cancer research



Amsterdam University Medical Centers, location VUmc

June 2018 - present

Laboratory Medical Oncology

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Professor (Full)



VU University Medical Center (VUmc)

January 2001 - June 2018

Department of Medical Oncology

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Head Laboratory Medical Oncology (2003-2017)

Full Professor since 2003

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

April 1983 - December 2000

Department of Medical Oncology

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Associate professor (1992-2003)



Netherlands Cancer Institute

July 1982 - March 1993

Amsterdam, Netherlands

post-doc



Radboud University

August 1977 - June 1982

Department of Biochemistry

Nijmegen, Netherlands

PhD Student 



Most Cited Publications



Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy

DJ Klionsky, FC Abdalla, H Abeliovich, RT Abraham, A Acevedo-Arozena, ...

Autophagy 8 (4), 445-544 2012



Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy

DJ Klionsky, K Abdelmohsen, A Abe, MJ Abedin, H Abeliovich, ...

Autophagy 12 (1), 1-222 2016



Fluorouracil: biochemistry and pharmacology.

HM Pinedo, GFJ Peters

Journal of clinical oncology 6 (10), 1653-1664 1988



MRP3, an organic anion transporter able to transport anti-cancer drugs

M Kool, M van der Linden, M de Haas, GL Scheffer, JML De Vree, ...

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 96 (12), 6914-6919 1999



Antifolate resistance mediated by the multidrug resistance proteins MRP1 and MRP2

JH Hooijberg, HJ Broxterman, M Kool, YG Assaraf, GJ Peters, ...

Cancer Research 59 (11), 2532-2535 1999



Comparison of the sulforhodamine B protein and tetrazolium (MTT) assays for in vitro chemosensitivity testing

YP Keepers, PE Pizao, GJ Peters, J van Ark-Otte, B Winograd, HM Pinedo

European Journal of Cancer and Clinical Oncology 27 (7), 897-900 1991



MicroRNA-21 in pancreatic cancer: correlation with clinical outcome and pharmacologic aspects underlying its role in the modulation of gemcitabine activity

E Giovannetti, N Funel, GJ Peters, M Del Chiaro, LA Erozenci, E Vasile, ...

Cancer research 70 (11), 4528-4538 2010



Molecular basis of bortezomib resistance: proteasome subunit β5 (PSMB5) gene mutation and overexpression of PSMB5 protein

R Oerlemans, NE Franke, YG Assaraf, J Cloos, I van Zantwijk, CR Berkers, ...

Blood 112 (6), 2489-2499 2008



Induction of thymidylate synthase as a 5-fluorouracil resistance mechanism

GJ Peters, HHJ Backus, S Freemantle, B Van Triest, G Codacci-Pisanelli, ...

Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Molecular Basis of Disease 1587 (2-3 … 2002



Interaction between cisplatin and gemcitabine in vitro and in vivo.

GJ Peters, AM Bergman, VW Ruiz van Haperen, G Veerman, CM Kuiper, ...

Seminars in oncology 22 (4 Suppl 11), 72-79 1995



Patient preference and pharmacokinetics of oral modulated UFT versus intravenous fluorouracil and leucovorin: a randomised crossover trial in advanced colorectal cancer

MM Borner, P Schöffski, R De Wit, F Caponigro, G Comella, A Sulkes, ...

European Journal of Cancer 38 (3), 349-358 2002



Determinants of resistance to 2′, 2′-difluorodeoxycytidine (gemcitabine)

AM Bergman, HM Pinedo, GJ Peters

Drug resistance updates 5 (1), 19-33 2002



Synergistic interaction between cisplatin and gemcitabine in vitro.

AM Bergman, VWR van Haperen, G Veerman, CM Kuiper, GJ Peters

Clinical Cancer Research 2 (3), 521-530 1996



Dose-finding and pharmacokinetic study of cisplatin, gemcitabine, and SU5416 in patients with solid tumors

BC Kuenen, L Rosen, EF Smit, MRN Parson, M Levi, R Ruijter, ...

Journal of clinical oncology 20 (6), 1657-1667 2002



Identification of microRNA-21 as a biomarker for chemoresistance and clinical outcome following adjuvant therapy in resectable pancreatic cancer

JH Hwang, J Voortman, E Giovannetti, SM Steinberg, LG Leon, YT Kim, ...

PloS one 5 (5), e10630 2010



Basis for effective combination cancer chemotherapy with antimetabolites

GJ Peters, CL Van der Wilt, CJA Van Moorsel, JR Kroep, AM Bergman, ...

Pharmacology & therapeutics 87 (2-3), 227-253 2000



Mechanisms of synergism between cisplatin and gemcitabine in ovarian and non-small-cell lung cancer cell lines

CJA Van Moorsel, HM Pinedo, G Veerman, AM Bergman, CM Kuiper, ...

British journal of cancer 80 (7), 981-990 1999



Expression of deoxycytidine kinase in leukaemic cells compared with solid tumour cell lines, liver metastases and normal liver

CL Van Der Wilt, JR Kroep, WJP Loves, MG Rots, CJ Van Groeningen, ...

European Journal of Cancer 39 (5), 691-697 2003



5-Fluorouracil incorporation into RNA and DNA in relation to thymidylate synthase inhibition of human colorectal cancers

P Noordhuis, U Holwerda, CL Van der Wilt, CJ Van Groeningen, K Smid, ...

Annals of oncology 15 (7), 1025-1032 2004



2′, 2′-Difluoro-deoxycytidine (gemcitabine) incorporation into RNA and DNA of tumour cell lines

VWTR van Haperen, G Veerman, JB Vermorken, GJ Peters

Biochemical pharmacology 46 (4), 762-766 1993