Newsletter I&I nieuws
Complement-sensitivity of gram-negative bacteria
In his research on the involvement of the complement system in the neutralization of bacteria, PhD candidate Frerich Masson (UMC Utrecht) unraveled several mechanisms on how pathogens such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa evade the human immune system. His findings provide better directions for the development of alternatives for antibiotics such as antibacterial antibodies.
Read moreNew UMC Utrecht research website ‘live’
Recently, the new UMC Utrecht research website has become available. With new capabilities and a and modern ‘look and feel’, this website will be a useful tool to present our researchers as well as UMC Utrecht’s achievements and projects related to research, innovation and valorization.
Read moreI&I Annual Scientific Meeting 2024
On September 17, the 7th annual scientific meeting of the strategic program Infection & Immunity took place at Villa Jongerius in Utrecht. It was a buzzing face-to-face meeting with about 100 colleagues attending. The symposium was jointly hosted by internist-infectiologist Marjolein Hensgens, immuno-oncology researcher Victor Peperzak and clinical microbiologist András Spaan.
Read moreUMC Utrecht receives 5 modelling grants on pandemic preparedness
Within the pandemic preparedness knowledge programme, UMC Utrecht researchers, all from the Program Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases at the Julius Center, have received five major ZonMw grants within the grant round ‘Modelling for pandemic preparedness: a call for innovation and knowledge development’. The grant round focuses on knowledge development and innovation of mathematic modelling in the field of pandemic preparedness and infectious disease control.
Read moreJul 3: Progressive pulmonary fibrosis in connective tissue disease
The PhD research by Yu-Hsiang Chiu (UMC Utrecht) provided provides valuable insights for risk assessment, biomarker identification, and potential treatment strategies for patients with connective tissue disease-associated instertitial lung disease. For example, decreases in disease biomarkers such CXCL11, CTGF and KL-6 were associated with improved pulmonary outcomes.
Read moreJun 26: Natalie Mazur receives Longfonds grant for RSV vaccine research
Natalie Mazur, MD PhD (Department of Pediatrics) has received a Junior Investigator Grant of 200,000 euro from the Dutch Longfonds to investigate how the RS-virus infects people and if a cheap and easy to apply vaccine would be able prevent such an infection.
Read moreJun 21: Medical imaging provides better insight in psoriatic arthritis
The studies presented in the PhD thesis of Nienke Kleinrensink (UMC Utrecht) show – with the help of medical imaging - that subclinical disease is common at the site where tendons and ligaments attach to the bone in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. In addition, the inflammatory reaction in psoriatic arthritis may also involve non-musculoskeletal organs such as the arterial wall.
Read moreJun 17: Staphylococcus aureus blood stream infections and endocarditis
In his PhD thesis, Thomas van der Vaart (Amsterdam UMC and UMC Utrecht) described features of Staphylococcus aureus blood stream infections in a multicenter study in the Netherlands and described which patient and disease factors pose an increased risk for endocarditis, a serious complication of the disease.
Read moreJun 8: New approaches in T cell-based immunotherapies in oncology
In his PhD thesis, Angelo Meringa (UMC Utrecht) describes the mechanisms that influence the efficacy of T cell immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and demonstrates that modulation of these mechanisms has the potential to improve treatment efficacy.
Read moreApril 29: Novel Insights and Strategies for Advanced T cell-based Immunotherapies
In her PhD thesis, Astrid Cleven (UMC Utrecht) and colleagues aimed to improve engineered T cell therapies, with a focus on T cells engineered to express a defined γδ T Cell receptor (TEGs).
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