Newsletter I&I nieuws
Mar 1: Winners I&I Boost Grants 2022 and I&I Stimulation Grants 2022
In 2022, strategic research program Infection & Immunity announced two parallel calls for proposals: Boost Grants 2022 (max. € 20.000) and Stimulation Grants 2022 (€ 20.000-50.000). Both grant schemes aspire to stimulate sustainable research and collaborations within the infection and immunity community at UMC Utrecht.
Read moreFeb 15: Two I&I researchers join UMC Utrecht Young Academy
This year two new members from the Infection & Immunity Strategic Program have joined the UMC Utrecht Young Academy. The Young Academy advocates on behalf of early to mid-stage investigators and aims to foster an inspiring and (inter)nationally competitive research environment at the UMC Utrecht.
Read moreFeb 14: CCR9-expressing T cells play a role in the immunopathology of Sjögren's syndrome
PhD research by Anneline Hinrichs at UMC Utrecht shows that in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS), various types of T cells that express a surface protein called CCR9 are elevated as compared to healthy controls. These findings add to a growing burden of evidence that CCR9-expressing T cells are involved in the immunopathology of pSS.
Read moreJan 16: Systemic and tissue neutrophil responses to experimental trauma
Changes in neutrophil response (both count and characteristics) are often seen in people with severe (poly-)trauma. Experimental trauma surgery models have confirmed the effect of trauma on the count and presence of neutrophil subtypes in the blood, bone marrow and pulmonary tissue. These insights in the inflammatory response after trauma may form the basis for novel treatments and guidelines, resulting in improved outcome of trauma patients. These were the main conclusions by Michel Teuben (UMC Utrecht) who defended his PhD thesis on January 16.
Read moreDec 6: KWF grant for research into neuropathic pain after cancer chemotherapy
The Neuro-Immunology of Pain research group of Niels Eijkelkamp has received a grant from the KWF Dutch Cancer Society over € 750.000 to further develop a potential treatment for severe neuropathic pain that may occur as a side effect of chemotherapy in cancer patients. In previous research they have already demonstrated that a fusion protein of two anti-inflammatory cytokines reduces pain that occurs as a side effect of chemotherapy.
Read moreDec 5: Three million euros for combating urinary tract infections in women
A consortium of four Dutch academic partners (including UMC Utrecht) has received a large grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). This is an ENW-XL grant of € 3 million for research into the causes of urinary tract infections in women. Janneke van de Wijgert will lead one of the work packages that focuses on a clinical trial in women with a recurrent urinary tract infection.
Read moreNov 29: Tissue T cell adaptation in homeostasis and inflammation
T cells in tissue microenvironments are highly adaptable, with local cues driving differentiation, functioning and maintenance of these T cells. This adaptation is tightly regulated within a microenvironment. However, striking overlap in transcriptional and phenotypical programming can be observed, especially in non-homeostatic conditions such as inflammation. These were the main conclusions of Lisanne Lutter in her PhD thesis that shed defended on November 29, 2022.
Read moreNov 20: Celebrating 20 years master Infection and Immunity
Last week there were two highlights for the biomedical master's program Infection and Immunity (I&I) of the Graduate School of Life Sciences. On Thursday and Friday (17 & 18 November) the annual master symposium took place, which was organized by - and for - master students I&I. The symposium committee choose the theme 'Overlooked - turning a blind eye'. This theme aimed to raise awareness of infectious and immunological diseases that affect millions of people but are not a high priority on the global health agenda. Invited speakers from the Netherlands and abroad gave talks on these ‘overlooked’ diseases.
Read moreSep 29: Towards (semi-)automated surveillance of healthcare-associated infections
How many wound infections develop after surgery? Can one reliably measure these infections with the help of an algorithm, without taking extra time from healthcare personnel? And does such an algorithm also work in other hospitals? This is the content of Janneke Verberk's dissertation, which she defended on September 29, 2022 at Utrecht University.
Read moreSep 26: Optimization of the management of complicated UTI
In her thesis, Kelly Hendriks (Julius Center for Health Science and Primary Care, UMC Utrecht) and colleagues tried to improve antibiotic prescribing for UTI in long-term care (LTC) facilities by introducing an educational program based on the Dutch guideline for UTI in fragile older adults.
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