Bio
Mart Lamers is an Assistant Professor at Duke-NUS Medical School and group leader of the Coronavirus Lab in the Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Mart received his BS in Biology from the University of Amsterdam in 2013 and his MS in Infection & Immunity from Erasmus MC in 2015. He completed his PhD in 2022 at Erasmus MC, in the laboratory of Prof. Bart Haagmans, where he focused on coronavirus pathogenesis and evolution.
Ongoing changes in human and domestic animal population sizes, urbanization, global connectivity, climate, wildlife trade, ecosystem health, and land use ensure that humanity will continue to encounter novel, previously unrecognized animal viruses capable of infecting humans (zoonotic viruses) in the coming decades.
Mart’s research focuses on virus–host interactions that shape pandemic potential, using organoid systems derived from both human and animal tissues. The Lamers lab aims to strengthen pandemic preparedness by identifying viruses with pandemic potential, defining the molecular mechanisms that confer this potential, and establishing physiologically relevant models to study these pathogens, with the ultimate goal of advancing effective countermeasures. Because viruses are obligate intracellular parasites that depend on finely tuned virus–host interactions, the lab’s philosophy is that precise modeling of human tissues using well-standardized, stem cell–derived in vitro systems under tight experimental control enables accurate recapitulation of virus biology and accelerates the discovery of interventions.
To this end, the lab employs organoid technology, in which differentiated, physiologically relevant human or animal cells are generated from self-renewing stem cell cultures to form “mini-organs.” By integrating organoid platforms with complementary approaches such as bioengineering, CRISPR/Cas9, and single-cell omics, the lab seeks to uncover the molecular mechanisms that govern pandemic potential and inform strategies to mitigate future threats.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy with Distinction
Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands
Master(Science - Infection & Immunity (research)
Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands
Bachelor of Science with Distinction
University of Amsterdam, Netherlands