C.D. Dijkstra

Interview

Name            :Christine D. Dijkstra
Department  :Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, VU medical center
Position        :Chair of department, principle investigator neuroimmunology

CURRICULUM VITAE

Christine D. Dijkstra has started her career in Immunology in 1979. In the past years she has published over 200 papers on ontogeny of lymphoid organs, macrophage heterogeneity and neuroinflammation. She belongs to the top 2000 list of most cited scientists in Immunology.
She has developed tools to identify subpopulations of macrophages, the so-called ED antibodies against rat macrophages. She has contributed to the identification of macrophages as crucial effector cells in multiple sclerosis and MS.
She has supervised more then 15 PhD students on neuroimmunological topics and many of these PhD students have made a career in MS research or are currently doing so.
Now she leads a research group that is focused on neuroinflammation, in particular on the migration of inflammatory cells across the blood brain barrier and on the role of macrophages in neurodegeneration and neuroprotection. She is one of the founders of the MS Center Amsterdam, where over 60 researchers are involved in multipdisciplinary (from Molecule to Man) research on Neurodegeneration and neuroprotection in multiple sclerosis.

CURRENT PROJECTS

- macrophages and neurodegeneration
- lesion expansion and repair in MS: role of macrophages
- effects of neurons on macrophage activation
- differentially activated macrophages in MS lesions
- macrophages and neuroprotection
- Helminth infection and Multiple Sclerosis


KEY PUBLICATIONS

Dijkstra CD, Döpp EA, Joling P, Kraal G. 1985. The heterogeneity of mononuclear phagocy¬tes in lymphoid organs: distinct macrophage subpopulati¬ons in the rat recognized by monoclonal antibodies ED1, ED2 and ED3. Immu¬nology 54:589 (1542 citations)

Huitinga I, Van Rooijen N, De Groot CJA, Uitdehaag B, Dijkstra CD. 1990. Suppression of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in Lewis rats after elimination of macrophages. J Exp Med 172:1025 1033 (293 citations)

Damoiseaux JGMC, Döpp EA, Calame W, Chao D, Macpherson GG, Dijkstra CD. 1994. Rat macrophage lysosomal membrane antigen recognized by monoclonal antibody ED1. Immunology 83:140-147 (280 citations)

Breij EC, Brink BP, Veerhuis R, van den Berg C, Vloet R, Yan R, Dijkstra CD,  van der Valk P, Bö L. Homogeneity of active demyelinating lesions in established multiple sclerosis. Ann Neurol. 2008; 63:16-25

Fabriek BO, van Bruggen R, Deng DM, Ligtenberg AJ, Nazmi K, Schornagel K, Vloet RP, Dijkstra CD, van den Berg TK. The macrophage scavenger receptor CD163 functions as an innate immune sensor for bacteria. Blood. 2008