Joep Beumer is a Junior Group Lead at the Institute of Human Biology (IHB), where he leads the Gastrointestinal Stem Cell & Nutrient Sensing (GINS) group. Joep’s research focuses on the development and metabolic function of the human gastrointestinal tract. His group develops new organoid platforms and CRISPR-based functional screens to advance the understanding of the maturation and function of the intestine. The ultimate goal is to derive therapeutic targets for the treatment of metabolic diseases.
Joep joined the IHB in 2022. His professional journey began at Utrecht University, Netherlands, where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in developmental biology. Following a position as a research associate at the Salk Institute in San Diego, he obtained his PhD degree (‘Cum Laude’, 2020) in the lab of Hans Clevers at the Hubrecht Institute, Netherlands. There, his research focused on the maturation of rare hormone-producing enteroendocrine cells (EECs) of the gut. Joep discovered novel regulators of their differentiation, and identified a role of BMP signaling in the stepwise specialization of intestinal cell types along the crypt-villus axis. In addition to these studies, Joep employed organoid models to study mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection in human epithelial cells and production of snake venom. At the IHB, he will connect his foundational expertise in intestinal stem cells and EECs and build organoid-based genetic screening capabilities, in order to explore the maturation and metabolic functions of the human
gut.
His academic work has been published in high-impact journals and recognized with multiple honors, including the Birnstiel Thesis Honorable Mention in 2020.
