Erasmus MC – MS Center ErasMS

Erase MS

Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Posted on May 12, 2024  •  4 minutes  • 761 words

Contribution to the project:

We have workflows up and running that will be used to profile B and T cells isolated from fresh post-mortem MS brain tissues at the single cell level. For this, scRNA-seq (including TCR/BCR-seq) and 33-40 color-based spectral flow cytometry will be used. Furthermore, our team has advanced culture assays to mimic T cell-dependent/independent human (T-bet/CXCR3+) B-cell differentiation (primary and recall responses) in vitro.

Team Members:

Marvin van Luijn – Group leader and staff member EMS

Marvin van Luijn earned his Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences at Utrecht University in 2006 and obtained his PhD degree in T-cell immunology and leukemia at VU University, Amsterdam in 2012. Since 2016, he has held a permanent position at EMS, in which he leads the NeuroImmunology Brain (NIB) research group at the department of Immunology. In 2020, he became assistant professor and staff member of EMS. He is interested in how lymphocytes are induced to drive pathology during the lifespan of people with MS and MS-like diseases.

Joost Smolders – Consultant neurologist and head EMS

Joost Smolders obtained his MD and PhD in medicine and neuroimmunology both cum laude at Maastricht University (2007 and 2011, respectively), and worked subsequently as postdoctoral researcher at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (Amsterdam). After receiving his specialist registration as neurologist, he was recruited in 2019 as head of EMS, where he supervises the clinical and laboratory research program as well as clinical care. His main research aim is to better understand immune surveillance of the CNS to achieve a better treatment of inflammatory CNS diseases.

Jasper Rip – Postdoctoral researcher

Jasper Rip obtained his degree in Infection and Immunity at the Erasmus University Rotterdam in 2016. Subsequently, he performed his doctoral studies in the department of Pulmonary Medicine of the EMC under supervision of Prof. Rudi Hendriks and obtained his PhD degree in 2021. During the completion of his PhD thesis, he joined the group of Dr. Ramon Arens at the department of Immunology in the Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum. In 2021, he joined the NeuroImmunology Brain (NIB) group as part of EMC - EMS. He has set up several single cell RNA-seq and spectral cytometry workflows in the group.

Ana Marques – Postdoctoral researcher

Ana Maria Marques earned her Master’s degree in Genetics and Molecular Biology in 2017 and obtained her PhD degree in Immunology in 2023, both at the University of Campinas (Campinas-SP, Brazil). Since January 2023, she has been working at EMC - EMS as a postdoctoral researcher and is mainly focusing on understanding the impact of EBV infection and genetic propensity on the development and function of B cells in MS patients.

Sanne Reijm – Postdoctoral researcher

Sanne Reijm earned her Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences at in 2017 and obtained her PhD degree in B cell immunology in rheumatoid arthritis in January 2024, both at the LUMC/Leiden University. In April 2023, she started in the NIB group at EMC - EMS as a postdoctoral researcher and is working on the influence of protective and risk HLA alleles on EBV-specific T- and B-cell responses in MS.

Laurens Bogers – PhD student

Laurens Bogers earned his Master’s degree in Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences at Leiden University in 2021 and did his Masters internship in the NIB group at EMC - EMS. Currently, he is working on his PhD project in the same group, in which he focuses on the underlying mechanisms of the B cell in MS pathology. He is specifically interested in a B-cell subset that has been implicated in many autoimmune diseases and is triggered by EBV: the T-bet+ B cell.

Kirsten Kuiper – PhD student

Kirsten Kuiper has received her Master’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Amsterdam in 2023 and is currently a PhD-candidate in the NIB group at EMC - EMS. In her research project, she focuses on triggers and receptors underlying the pathogenic effector program of brain-infiltrating CXCR3+ B cells in MS, and the potential of targeting these using brain-penetrant drugs, such as Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors.

Fabiënne van Puijfelik – PhD student

Fabiënne van Puijfelik has received her Master’s Degree in Infection & Immunity at the Erasmus University Rotterdam in 2021 and is currently a PhD-candidate in the (NIB) research group at EMC - EMS. Her research is focused on a CD4+ T-cell subset called Th17.1, which seems to be driven by EBV-infected B cells to enter the MS brain. She aims to discriminate between pathogenic and non-pathogenic Th17.1 cells in people with MS in order to find selective therapeutic targets for further development.