Wouter de Laat performed his PhD (1998) at the Erasmus University Rotterdam (Prof. Jan Hoeijmakers) where he investigated the molecular mechanism of nucleotide excision repair. He identified one of the nucleases and characterized the interplay between repair factors at the site of the lesion. As a postdoc, he joined the group of Prof. Frank Grosveld to work on beta-globin gene activation. In 2000 he received a career grant (VIDI) to work on long-range gene activation. His group used 3C technology, and later developed 4C technology, to demonstrate chromatin loops between genes and enhancers and to uncover the principles and functional importance of long-range DNA contacts within and between chromosomes.

In September 2008 de Laat moved his group to the Hubrecht Institute, where he continued his work on genome structure and function and further pioneered the development and application of 3C-based technologies in DNA diagnostics. In January 2009 he was appointed professor in Biomedical Genomics at the University Medical Center Utrecht. Wouter de Laat is founder of Cergentis, a biotech company now owned by Solvias, that provides services and kits for complete gene sequencing based on its proprietary Targeted Locus Amplification (TLA) Technology.

• 2019: Prix Galien Excellence COVID-19 Award

• 2012: VICI career grant

• 2009: Elected EMBO member

• 2008: ERC Starting Grant

• 2000: VIDI career grant

1. Rinzema NJ, Sofiadis K, Tjalsma SJD, Verstegen MJAM, Oz Y, Valdes-Quezada C, Felder AK, Filipovska T, van der Elst S, de Andrade Dos Ramos Z, Han R, Krijger PHL, de Laat W. (2022). Building regulatory landscapes reveals that an enhancer can recruit cohesin to create contact domains, engage CTCF sites and activate distant genes. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 29(6):563-574

2. Krijger PHL, Hoek, TA, Boersma S, Donders LIPM, Broeders MCM, Pieterse M, Toonen PW, …, van Weert A, Dekker E, Dom FJ, Ruijtenbeek R, van der Velden LBJ, van de Bovenkamp JHB, Bosch M, de Laat W, Tanenbaum ME. (2021). A public-private partnership model for COVID-19 diagnostics. Nat Biotech 39(10):1182-1184.

3. Vos ESM, Valdes-Quezada C, Huang Y, Allahyar A, Verstegen MJAM, Felder A-K, van der Vegt F, Uijttewaal ECH, Krijger PHL, and de Laat W (2021). Interplay between CTCF boundaries and a super enhancer controls cohesin extrusion trajectories and gene expression. Mol Cell, Jun 22:S1097-2765(21)00455-X.

4. Allahyar A, Pieterse M, Swennenhuis J, Los-de Vries GT, Yilmaz M, Leguit 4, Meijers RWJ, van der Geize R, Vermaat J, Cleven A, van Wezel T, Diepstra A, van Kempen LC, Hijmering NJ, Stathi P, Sharma M, Melquiond ASJ, de Vree PJP, Verstegen MJAM, Krijger PHL, Hajo K, Simonis M, Rakszewska A, van Min M, de Jong D, Ylstra B, Feitsma H, Splinter E, de Laat W. (2021). Robust detection of translocations in lymphoma FFPE samples using Targeted Locus Capture-based sequencing. Nat Comm. 7;12(1):3361.

5. Allahyar A, Vermeulen C, Bouwman BAM, Krijger PHL, Verstegen MJAM, Geeven G, van Kranenburg M, Pieterse M, Straver R, Haarhuis JHI, Jalink K, Teunissen H, Renkens IJ, Kloosterman WP, Rowland BD, de Wit E, de Ridder J, de Laat W. (2018). Enhancer hubs and loop collisions identified from single-allele topologies. Nat Genet. 50(8):1151-1160.