Faculty

Antonia Denkova | Robin de Kruijff |
Bert Wolterbeek 

Facts & Figures

Professors: 1
Assistant & Associate Professors: 2
PhD Students: 5
Post-docs: 2
Support Staff: 5

Example of thesis project

While surgery, chemotherapy and external radiotherapy are currently the main treatment methods for cancer, internal radiotherapy is showing great potential for the treatment of patients with metastasized tumors. This type of therapy generally uses radioactive atoms attached to a disease-specific targeting molecule. Massive improvements in current therapies are possible by selecting radionuclides with specific properties for different patients, moving towards personalized medicine. However, a combination of lack of supply of medically relevant radionuclides limits the research and development into the use of these, and hence halting clinical trials. To support the use of new radionuclides, it is important that they are abundantly available.

Current separation methods are slow, and generally hard to automate, This is why we are developing microfluidic solvent extraction methods to quickly and efficiently separate the radioisotope of interest from the bulk target material. There’s a lot to be done! If you are interested in doing your bachelor or master project on this subject, you will develop novel radionuclide production and separation methods, as well as work on the recycling of the target material. Some isotopes of interest include ⁶⁸Ga or ⁹⁹Mo for diagnostics, or ¹⁶⁶Ho or ¹⁶¹Tb for tumor therapy.

Our research is very multidisciplinary with a strong focus on the final (often medical) application; combining various scientific fields including radiochemistry, physics, organic and inorganic chemistry, and biology. Broadly speaking, our research falls into three categories: (1) production and purification of medically relevant radioisotopes; (2) development of nanocarriers for brachy- chemo- and radionuclide therapy; and (3) using (radio)tracers to study the uptake  of dietary supplements. Many of our projects are collaborations with other groups within the TU Delft, but also with hospitals like ErasmusMC and Radboudumc or companies such as FrieslandCampina.

You might have run across some of us during  your second-year Research Practicum, maybe you have followed some of the bachelor or master courses we teach, or maybe you are just enthusiastic from reading the text above. In any case, whether you’re excited about our research and want to join us for a project, or are just curious and want to know more, please don’t hesitate to check out our website or send us an email!

Contact

Robin de Kruijff
r.m.dekruijff@tudelft.nl
+31 15 27 81485

Website

https://www.tudelft.nl/en/faculty-of-applied-sciences/about-faculty/departments/radiation-science-technology/applied-radiation-isotopes/

Health Physics TMS VRS D

All students at ARI will be trained to work safely with radiation and are expected to complete a short radiation safety course, for which they will receive the nationally recognized certificate Health Physics TMS VRS D. This short radiation safety course is included in the curriculum for ARI students and must be completed before or at the start of the student project.