Jan Kammenga

JE (Jan) Kammenga is Professor of the Department of Plant Sciences, Laboratory of Nematology Subdivision at Wageningen University. He uses quantitative genetic approaches to study various traits, including longevity, in worms. The nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans has many genetic characteristics which makes it an ideal model for studying the genetic architecture of complex human disease and ageing phenotypes. Many genetic pathways which are associated with cancer and ageing are conserved across worms and humans. In Jan's lab, the team study the genetic architecture of ageing, lifespan and the Wnt-pathway. They use quantitative genetic approaches to map complex traits, including the transcriptome, and study genotype-environment interactions. To identify candidate genes underlying complex traits they perform mutation analysis and genome editing in combination with natural genetic variation in natural populations. Next to this they investigate the underlying mechanisms of C. elegans-virus interactions.