Prof. Marion Smits, PhD, has always had a passion for advanced neuroimaging with MRI, an area she will be able to fully explore as a newly appointed clinical research professor in neuroradiology at the University of Cambridge.
“Metabolic imaging is something that Cambridge is really strong at, particularly in other parts of the body. There are specific new treatments for brain tumor that inhibit genetic mutation, and this will probably impact metabolism of the brain tumor as well. I’d really like to characterize that more,” Smits noted, adding that doing a deep dive into the metabolism of brain tumors really excites her.
She also points to another potential key focus: cancer neuroscience, which looks at the interaction between neuronal activity inside the brain and the growth of brain tumors. Smits is keen to explore this interaction, in collaboration with Addenbrooke Hospital’s neurosurgeons and neuroscientists, to see if it could be leveraged for diagnostics.
“It’s a ‘chicken and egg’ dynamic, because we don’t know if neuronal activity increases the growth of brain tumors or if brain tumors increase neuronal activity,” she said. “I’ve worked on neuroscience in the past, and it would be great to come back to that with an established, dedicated team.”
Marion Smits and Prof. Ferdia Gallagher, head of radiology at the University of Cambridge, at the High Table at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge. The Fellows dine in this area, which is situated in the historic Hall, featuring stained glass and portraits. Photo by Dr. Tomasz Matys
Smits, who also remains professor of neuroradiology and consultant neuroradiologist at Erasmus MC and chair of research and board member of the Radiological Society of the Netherlands, is going to be busy. She hasn’t just left one job for another but has taken on an additional position that will necessitate a monthly commute from Rotterdam to Cambridge by train.
She will be based for one week of the month at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, and she is looking forward to watching the evolution of a new cancer research hospital being built on the campus. With her research work straddling Rotterdam and Cambridge, there will also be scope for joint projects. Erasmus MC and Addenbrooke’s have the same scanners, which will make it possible to conduct research across the two centers and should also facilitate student exchanges.
“Of course I will continue my work in neuro-oncology, particularly brain tumor research but I want to keep an open mind and do new things, look at what other people are working on, gather ideas and get inspired for my own work,” she told AuntMinnieEurope.
ECR focus
Looking ahead to ECR, which begins on 4 March, she points to the relevance of the ‘Clinical trials in radiology’ sessions, which highlight the impact of radiology research and are back after their debut last year. Smits is participating in several sessions, including one dedicated to young radiologists and a European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR) session on the Beauty of Neuroradiology on the mornings of Friday, 6 and Saturday, 7 March.
Junior neuroradiologists will discuss the implications of entering this field, while other presenters will focus on the real patient impact of neuroradiology and interventional neuroradiology. Another theme will be high-level research.
“Research eventually makes an impact and the way we do that is to make sure we have high-level evidence which can then be translated to patients in various ways, whether in management, quality of life, or survival,” she noted.
This translation is something that radiologists find difficult as they don’t really see the patient in their trajectory, and with this in mind, her presentation will highlight studies that have done just this and where the impact on patient care is clear.
“Radiologists are researchers. We like the puzzle and solving it. It’s curiosity that counts and we can all make a valuable contribution towards that implementation step,” Smits said.
In the video interview below (produced by Christof.G.Pelz | GRAFIFANT Creation | www.grafifant.at | 2026), she discusses which aspects of her new role in Cambridge she is looking forward to, and flags several not-to-be-missed neuroimaging sessions at ECR 2026.
