Effective host defence against tuberculosis bacteria depends on a properly balanced level of inflammation. The Inflammafish project uses zebrafish larvae to study how autophagy controls this inflammation and vice versa.

This thesis focuses on the role of chemokine receptors CXCR3 and CCR2 in the inflammatory process and infection control using the zebrafish model.

Science, Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL)

.

Which immune mechanisms are involved in host defense against Staphylococcal infection?

How is inflammation in tuberculosis controlled by interplay between autophagy and inflammasome signalling?

Promotores: T. Hankemeier; R. Berger, Co-promotor: R.J. Vreeken

The function of TLRs in innate immunity has aroused worldwide attention soon after its discovery. Because of the broad functions of TLR2 in innate immunity, the drive for the development of TLR2-targeted vaccines or therapeutic treatments has accelerated in the last decades.

Cardiovascular disease is a major global burden and atherosclerosis is the main underlying pathological process.

Depression has traditionally been linked to increased inflammation. Innovative research by psychologist Eiko Fried refutes this popular assumption. He shows that specific depression symptoms such as sleeping problems explain this relationship. Publication in Psychological Medicine .

Source: Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Volume 135, pp. S59-S59 (2015)

Chemical biologists from Leiden, led by Dr Mario van der Stelt, have discovered substances that can reduce inflammation processes in the brain. This is a first step in the development of potential medicines for the treatment of brain diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Published in Proceedings…

Lecture

Does the mineralocorticoid receptor play a role in the effects of cortisol and synthetic glucocorticoids on the immune response?

Promotor: Prof.dr. J.A. Bouwstra, Co-promotor: Dr. A. El Ghalbzouri

Pharmacogenetics is nowadays increasingly incorporated in the clinic to better predict pharmacokinetics and optimize dosing regimens of drug treatments. While this approach has been successful and improved our prediction of drug metabolism, drug levels within patients may still commonly deviate between…

Atherosclerosis (thickening of the artery wall) is the most common cause of heart attacks or strokes, and one of the most common causes of death in the western world. People with this condition have to take medicine all their lives, so a vaccine for atherosclerosis would be a breakthrough.

Cardiovascular diseases are the primary cause of death in the world with atherosclerosis as primary underlying cause.

PhD Defence

PhD Defence

PhD Defence

PhD Defence

PhD Defence

What are the biological and biophysical mechanisms that control chemokine gradient sensing and migration of immune, endothelial, and tumour cells in tumour development?

The research described in this thesis combines the latest insights in lysosomal function with lysosome centred cell signalling.

Promotores: J. Jonkers, K.E. de Visser

The word ¨pyroptosis¨ can be understood as ¨fiery falling¨, which describes the bursting of pro-inflammatory signals from the dying cell. Our observations indicate that pyroptosis also ¨spreads like wildfire¨ and once a cell dies via pyroptotic cell death, neighbouring cells are more prone to die as…

Promotor: Prof.dr. J. Kuiper

Can we exploit the cell death machinery of the host to develop new host-directed anti-TB treatments?

What are the host immune defence mechanisms that control intracellular infections and how are these subverted by pathogens?

Source: J Cheminform, Volume 7, Issue 1 (2015)

We perform multidisciplinary research at molecular, cellular, and organismal levels of animal biology to increase fundamental understanding of health and disease.

Source: Mediators Inflamm (2014)

The LUMC has a longstanding tradition researching the role of the immune system in infectious diseases, transplantation and auto-immune diseases.

PhD Defence

PhD Defence

PhD Defence

PhD Defence

PhD Defence

We perform multidisciplinary research at molecular, cellular, and organismal levels of animal biology to increase fundamental understanding of health and disease.

The Therapeutic Immunomodulation Group is led by Prof. Johan Kuiper. In this group we aim to identify novel immunologic targets and apply immunotherapy to inhibit or even prevent the development of atherosclerosis.

Promotor: J.A. Bouwstra Co-promotor: A. El Ghalbzouri

Cardiovascular syndromes are the major cause of death in Western societies.

Animal Sciences’ contribution to the Bioactive Molecules research theme includes research on molecules from natural sources, such as plants, insects, and snake venom, with the aim to identify novel anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-diabetic agents.

Promotores: Prof.dr. E.A.L. Biessen, Prof.dr. T.J.C. van Berkel

Atherosclerosis, in particular rupture of atherosclerotic plaques, is the underlying cause of most heart attacks or strokes and is the leading cause of death worldwide.

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting millions of people world-wide.