Niek de Vries

The research program “Adaptive immunomics” aims to unravel disease-associated adaptive immune responses in immune-mediated inflammatory disease. In these adaptive responses specificity is often encoded by only a few lymphocyte clones, each encoding a unique B- or T-lymphocyte receptor. We develop molecular and bioinformatic approaches in order to fingerprint, identify, track, monitor, characterize and selectively target these cell clones. Using this approach we developed a highly accurate novel diagnostic marker for IgG4-related disease, a novel disease activity marker in vasculitis, and a highly accurate predictive marker for imminent-onset rheumatoid arthritis.

Affiliation

Amsterdam Rheumatology and immunology Center (ARC) | Academic Medical Center F4-105 | Dept of Clinical Immunology & Rheumatology | EULAR&FOCIS Center of Excellence, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
n.devries@amc.nl

Publications

Tak PP, Doorenspleet ME, de Hair MJH, Klarenbeek PL, van Beers-Tas MH, van Kampen AHC, van Schaardenburg D, Gerlag DM, Baas F, de Vries N. Dominant B cell receptor clones in peripheral blood predict onset of arthritis in individuals at risk for rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2017.

Reshetova P, van Schaik BD, Klarenbeek PL, Doorenspleet ME, Esveldt RE, Tak PP, Guikema JE, de Vries N, van Kampen AH. Computational Model Reveals Limited Correlation between Germinal Center B-Cell Subclone Abundancy and Affinity: Implications for Repertoire Sequencing. Front Immunol. 2017.

Doorenspleet ME, Hubers LM, Culver EL, Maillette de Buy Wenniger LJ, Klarenbeek PL, Chapman RW, Baas F, van de Graaf SF, Verheij J, van Gulik TM, et al. Immunoglobulin G4(+) B-cell receptor clones distinguish immunoglobulin G 4-related disease from primary sclerosing cholangitis and biliary/pancreatic malignancies. Hepatology. 2016.

Doorenspleet ME, Klarenbeek PL, de Hair MJ, van Schaik BD, Esveldt RE, van Kampen AH, Gerlag DM, Musters A, Baas F, Tak PP, et al. Rheumatoid arthritis synovial tissue harbours dominant B-cell and plasma-cell clones associated with autoreactivity. Ann Rheum Dis. 2014.

Bos WH, Wolbink GJ, Boers M, Tijhuis GJ, de Vries N, van der Horst-Bruinsma IE, Tak PP, van de Stadt RJ, van der Laken CJ, Dijkmans BA, et al. Arthritis development in patients with arthralgia is strongly associated with anti-citrullinated protein antibody status: a prospective cohort study. Ann Rheum Dis. 2010.

Theses

Doorenspleet M.E.: Standing out of the crowd. Adaptive immune cells in the pathogenesis and rediction of rheumatoid arthritis and IgG4-related disease. Awarded: 2017

Maillette de Buy Wenniger Lucas Joseph (cum laude): The biliary tree in health and immune‑mediated disease. Awarded: 2015

Klarenbeek P.L.: Beyond the keyhole perspective. Quantitative and full repertoire imaging of T- and B-cell receptors using next generation sequencing. Awarded: 2013

Herenius M.M.J.: Anti-TNF therapy in rheumatoid artrhitis: Searching for mechanisms of effect. Awarded: 2013

Current PhD projects

Musters A.M.: B-cell lineage responses in early rheumatoid arthritis

Al Soudi A.: Single cell characterization of B-cell clones that predict onset of rheumatoid arthritis

Balzaretti G.: Understanding the transition from seropositive arthralgia to clinically active rheumatoid arthritis: effects of genetic factors and lymphocyte evolution in the “at risk” phase.

Tas M.: Predicting onset of rheumatoid arthritis.

Pollastro S.P.:  Characterization of clonal B- and T-cell responses in the formation of anti-drug antibodies

Maharaj A.: Characterization of psoriatic arthritis in South Africa.