Netherlands Cancer Institute

Address Plesmanlaan 121
1066 CX Amsterdam
Platforms Biomarkers

The Netherlands Cancer Institute was established on October 10, 1913. The founders, Rotgans, professor of Surgery, De Bussy, publisher, and De Vries, professor of Pathology, wanted to create a cancer institute ‘where patients suffering from malignant growths could be treated adequately and where cancer and related diseases could be studied’. They bought a house on one of the canals in Amsterdam and named it the ‘Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Huis’, after the famous Dutch microscopist. The clinic had room for 17 patients, while the laboratory could accommodate 8 to 10 scientists.

Nowadays, The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) accommodates approximately 650 scientists and scientific support personnel. It is an an independent research institute focusing on cancer research. The NKI works closely together with the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek hospital (AVL), which provides care and treatment for cancer patients. Together they form a Comprehensive Cancer Centre (OECI accredited). The close interaction between the NKI and the AVL ensures rapid translation of basic finding to new clinical applications

The NKI employs approximately 650 scientists. It has 50 principal investigators (faculty, group leaders) in basic and translational research. In the AVL approximately 55 clinicians are involved in translational research projects and/or clinical trials. The NKI has approximately 180 Postdoctoral fellows, 190 PhD students and 180 technicians. Most PIs, postdocs, PhD students and technicians are from the Netherlands but more and more of our researchers come from abroad (at this moment 35%).