Elisabeth Brouwer

Main Lines of Research: Large Vessel vasculitis Translational Studies  and Autoantibodies

My research focuses on immune regulation and ageing; translational studies into development of biomarkers and imaging for diagnosis and disease and treatment monitoring in large vessel vasculitis, giant cell arteritis (GCA) and polymyalgia rheumatic (PMR) . Along this line, ageing of the immune system and vessels as well as development of auto-antibodies/ACPA within LifeLines is studied.
In my research I integrate basic and clinical data in order to improve outcome for people at risk for disease development.
My research lines are embedded in the research institute TRIGR (Translational Immunology Groningen)  and fit within the a UMCG broad initiative “Building a future of health”.

Affiliation

Department of Rheumatology-Internal Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands
e.brouwer@umcg.nl

Publications

Graver JC, Sandovici M, Diepstra A, Boots AMH, Brouwer E. Artery tertiary lymphoid organs in giant cell arteritis are not exclusively located in the media of temporal arteries. Ann Rheum Dis. 2017

Van Zanten A, Arends S, Roozendaal C, Limburg PC, Maas F, Trouw LA, Toes RE, Huizinga TW, Bootsma H, Brouwer E. Presence of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies in a large population-based cohort from the Netherlands. Ann Rheum Dis. 2017

Janssen KM, de Smit MJ, Withaar C, Brouwer E, van Winkelhoff AJ, Vissink A, Westra J. Autoantibodies against citrullinated histone H3 in rheumatoid arthritis and periodontitis patients. J Clin Periodontol. 2017

van der Geest KS, Lorencetti PG, Abdulahad WH, Horst G, Huitema M, Roozendaal C, Kroesen BJ, Brouwer E, Boots AM. Ageing-dependent decline of IL-10 producing B cells coincides with production of antinuclear antibodies but not rheumatoid factors. Exp Gerontol. 2016

van der Geest KS, Abdulahad WH, Chalan P, Rutgers A, Horst G, Huitema MG, Roffel MP, Roozendaal C, Kluin PM, Bos NA, Boots AM, Brouwer E. Disturbed B cell homeostasis in patients with newly-diagnosed giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2014

Current PhD projects

Yannick van Sleen: Role of Aged monocytes in Large Vessel Vasculitis.
Rebeca Hid Cadena: Role of checkpoint molecules in development of Vasculitis.
Jacolien Graver: A novel disease model for Giant Cell Arteritis: the antibody-independent role of B cells in the pathogenesis of Giant Cell Arteritis.
Rosanne Reitsema: CD8 T cells in GCA.