Specialization
Internist-infectiologist, Clinical-Immunologist
Focus of research
Since my appointment in the Academic Medical Center in 2015 as internist-infectiologist and clinical immunologist, I have been dedicated to setting up and designing translational HIV research with a specific focus on acute HIV infection and development of HIV cure treatment strategies. In addition, as part of my clinical work in (primary and secondary) immunodeficiency diseases, I aim to study these particular clinical diseases in more detail. As such, I am also involved in (inter)national studies and publications on that subject.
My research in the field of acute HIV infection and development of HIV cure treatment strategies can be subdivided in three interconnected areas: (1) development and evaluation of a city-oriented approach of the HIV epidemic in Amsterdam; (2) translational studies on HIV cure and treatment of acute HIV infection; (3) studies on safety and efficacy of a preventive HIV vaccine.
(1) From my role as scientific coordinator I designed and implemented an innovative strategy to curb the HIV epidemic at a city level (in Amsterdam), under the name HIV Transmission Elimination Amsterdam (H-TEAM initiative). The H-TEAM is a large consortium in which all stakeholders involved in HIV care, prevention and key communities are united and develop new strategies to reduce the number of new HIV infections in Amsterdam. Within the H-TEAM initiative I am project leader of several subprojects. These subprojects study transmission networks (phylogenetics) to delineate acquisition and transmission of HIV under people with a migration background and focus on new ways to reach out to individuals with an HIV infection that enter care late.
(2) Since 2013, I am leading the acute HIV studies in the AMC and I have initiated the Netherlands Cohort Study on Acute HIV Infection (NOVA study). This is a large national cohort study, in which patients who started treatment during acute infection are enrolled; currently more than 100 patients are in follow-up. Viro-immunological studies are performed, aimed at gaining insight in the effects of initiation of treatment in this acute phase on immunity and viral reservoir. Furthermore, I am project leader of a recently awarded grant on the development of treatment strategies for cure in the AMC (in collaboration with the UMCU and Erasmus Medical Center). In this project, in a pre-clinical phase (in collaboration with the group of T. Geijtenbeek) new potential treatment(s) that modulates the immune response to HIV will be identified, followed by a phase 1 safety study in HIV patients.
(3) Recently, we designed a first clinical trial on the efficacy of an HIV vaccine (in collaboration with the group of R. Sanders) that is planned to start in October this year.
As a clinical scientist with an immunological background, I strive to make the connection between pre-clinical research in this area towards the clinical trials to investigate these avenues over the coming years.