About our Department
Our research
What is the overall aim?
We aim to unravel physiological mechanisms involved in development and progression of pulmonary diseases. This knowledge allows us to continuously improve existing treatment and develop novel treatments for diseases that are currently incurable.
What are the focus areas of your research?
(examples) The research of the department of pulmonary medicine is organized in 8 research lines (see groups): pulmonary oncology, molecular immunology, interstitial lung diseases and sarcoidosis, immunoregulation and mucosal immunology, respiratory epidemiology, pulmonary hypertension, lung transplantation and pulmonary infectious diseases. Our clinical research is supported by our own research bureau.
Principal Investigators
- Prof dr. Joachim Aarts - Head of the department
- Prof. dr. Marlies Wijsenbeek - Deputy head of the department
- Prof. dr. Anne-Marie Dingemans
- Prof. dr. Rudi Hendriks
- Prof. dr. Bart Lambrecht
- Prof. dr. Guy Brusselle
Research Lines
Epigenetics of adaptive immunity
Immunity of the lung
Immunoregulation and mucosal immunology
Interstitial Lung Disease and Autoimmunity
Interstitial lung diseases and sarcoidosis
Lung transplantation
Pulmonary Hypertension
Pulmonary infectious diseases
Pulmonary Oncology
Respiratory epidemiology
Thoracic oncology and immunotherapy
Publications
Onrust-van Schoonhoven A, de Bruijn MJW, Stikker B, Brouwer RWW, Braunstahl GJ, van IJcken WFJ, Graf T, Huylebroeck D, Hendriks RW, Stik G, Stadhouders R. 3D chromatin reprogramming primes human memory TH2 cells for rapid recall and pathogenic dysfunction. Sci Immunol. 2023 Jul 14;8(85):eadg3917
Van Gulijk M, van Krimpen A, Schetters S, Eterman M, van Elsas M, Mankor J, Klaase L, de Bruijn M, van Nimwegen M, van Tienhoven T, van Ijcken W, Boon L, van der Schoot J, Verdoes M, Scheeren F, van der Burg SH, Lambrecht BN, Stadhouders R, Dammeijer F, Aerts J, van Hall T. PD-L1 checkpoint blockade promotes regulatory T cell activity that underlies therapy resistance. Sci Immunol. 2023 May 19;8(83):eabn6173.
Van Krimpen A, Gerretsen VIV, Mulder EEAP, van Gulijk M, van den Bosch TPP, von der Thüsen J, Grünhagen DJ, Verhoef C, Mustafa D, Aerts JG, Stadhouders R, Dammeijer F. Immune suppression in the tumor-draining lymph node corresponds with distant disease recurrence in patients with melanoma. Cancer Cell. 2022 Aug 8;40(8):798-799.
Cantini L, Laniado I, Murthy V, Sterman D, Aerts JGJV. Immunotherapy for mesothelioma: Moving beyond single immune check point inhibition. Lung Cancer. 2022 Jan 25;165:91-101.
Hammad H, Lambrecht BN. The basic immunology of asthma. Cell. 2021 Mar 18;184(6):1469-1485
Neys SFH, Heukels P, van Hulst JAC, Rip J, Wijsenbeek MS, Hendriks RW, Corneth OBJ. Aberrant B Cell Receptor Signaling in Naïve B Cells from Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Cells. 2021 May 26;10(6):1321.
Heukels P, Corneth OBJ, van Uden D, van Hulst JAC, van den Toorn LM, van den Bosch AE, Wijsenbeek MS, Boomars KA, Kool M, Hendriks RW. Loss of immune homeostasis in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. Thorax. 2021 Dec;76(12):1209-1218.
Tindemans I, van Schoonhoven A, KleinJan A, de Bruijn MJ, Lukkes M, van Nimwegen M, van den Branden A, Bergen IM, Corneth OB, van IJcken WF, Stadhouders R, Hendriks RW. Notch signaling licenses allergic airway inflammation by promoting Th2 cell lymph node egress. J Clin Invest. 2020 Jul 1;130(7):3576-3591.
Dammeijer F, van Gulijk M, Mulder EE, Lukkes M, Klaase L, van den Bosch T, van Nimwegen M, Lau SP, Latupeirissa K, Schetters S, van Kooyk Y, Boon L, Moyaart A, Mueller YM, Katsikis PD, Eggermont AM, Vroman H, Stadhouders R, Hendriks RW, Thüsen JV, Grünhagen DJ, Verhoef C, van Hall T, Aerts JG. The PD-1/PD-L1-Checkpoint Restrains T cell Immunity in Tumor-Draining Lymph Nodes.
Cancer Cell. 2020 Nov 9;38(5):685-700.
Stadhouders R, Filion GJ, Graf T. Transcription factors and 3D genome conformation in cell-fate decisions. Nature. 2019 May;569(7756):345-354.
Yap TA, Aerts JG, Popat S, Fennell DA. Novel insights into mesothelioma biology and implications for therapy. Nat Rev Cancer. 2017 Jul 25;17(8):475-488.
Vacancies
Our team
Principal Investigators
Prof. dr. Joachim Aerts (MD, PhD)
Joachim Aerts is head of the Department of Pulmonary Medicine since January 2018. He is PI of the thoracic oncology research Rotterdam group. His main research focus is on fundamental, translational and clinical research in immune-oncology, with a strong focus on lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Prof. dr. Anne-Marie Dingemans (MD, PhD)
Anne-Marie Dingemans is a pulmonologist and professor at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, since 2019. She is engaged in translational lung cancer research focused on neuroendocrine tumors, oligometastatic disease, and driver mutations.
Prof. dr. Marlies Wijsenbeek (MD, PhD)
Marlies Wijsenbeek is a pulmonary physician and professor at the Erasmus MC University Medical Centre in Rotterdam. She is chair of the Erasmus MC multidisciplinary ILD centre, a national expert centre and member of the European Reference Network. Her research interests include patient-centred outcome measures in ILD, e-health, and new therapies in IPF and sarcoidosis.
Rudi Hendriks is professor and head of the experimental research laboratory of the department of pulmonary medicine since 2007. His research focuses on the role of B, T and innate lymphocytes in pulmonary immunity, in particular in allergic airway inflammation and autoimmune processes.
Prof. dr. Guy Brusselle (MD, PhD)
Guy Brusselle, is professor and pulmonary physician at Ghent University Hospital and is head of the Laboratory for Translational Research of Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases at Ghent University. Since 2013 he also is professor at the Erasmus MC University Medical Centre in Rotterdam. His research focuses on determining the prevalence and incidence of respiratory symptoms (e.g. chronic cough), lung function impairment (obstructive and/or restrictive) and common respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in middle-aged and older adults.
Prof. dr. Bart Lambrecht (MD, PhD)
Bart Lambrecht is professor at Erasmus MC University Medical Centre in Rotterdam since 2005. Since 2007 he is also professor of Pulmonary Medicine at UGent and UZ Gent. His research is centered around unravelling the role of antigen presenting cells in the lungs.
Ralph Stadhouders is assistant professor at Erasmus MC University Medical Centre in Rotterdam. His current research focuses on (epi)genetics of adaptive immunity in pulmonary diseases.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Dr. Floris Dammeijer (MD, PhD)
Dr. Mieke Metzemaekers (PhD)
Dr. Mandy van Gulijk (PhD)
Dr. Marcella Verbakel-Willemsen (PhD)
Dr. Odilia Corneth (PhD)
Dr. Stefan Neys (PhD)
Dr. Esmee van der Ploeg (PhD)
Dr. Niels Rinzema (PhD)
Clinical Researchers
Dr. Gert-Jan Braunstahl (MD)
PhD candidates
Drs. Bob Belderbos (MD)
Drs. Sophie Ernst (MD)
Drs. Anneloes van Krimpen
Drs. Lianne Trap
Drs. Vivianne Gerritsen
Drs. Mike Eterman
Drs. Leila Pisheh
Drs. Lieke de Jong
Dr. Anne Onrust-Van Schoonhoven
Drs. Bernard Stikker
Drs. Simone Olsthoorn
Drs. Denis van Uden
Technicians and research assistants
Koen Bezemer (BSc)
Ingrid Bergen
Jennifer van Hulst
Hei Tung Hau
Marjolein de Jong – de Bruijn
Karolina Leman
Melanie Lukkes
Menno van Nimwegen
Ilknur Özdemir-Göktas
Myrthe Poncin
Areg Rafaelian
