Nico Bos

My research interest is how external influences can influence the immune system in such a way that unwanted immune responses, such as, for example, auto-immune diseases can arise. Molecular analysis of immunoglobulin genes provides insight into which B cells are stimulated during such immune responses. This may explain why anti-B cell therapy is very effective in various autoimmune diseases such as RA, Sjögren syndrome, ANCA associated vascultis and type 1 diabetes. During secondary humoral immune responses there might be an abnormal selection of autoreactive B cells due to an altered glycosylation pattern.

Affiliation

Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
n.a.bos@umcg.nl

Publications

Visser A, Hamza N, Kroese FGM, Bos NA. Acquiring new N-glycosylation sites in variable regions of immunoglobulin genes by somatic hypermutation is a common feature of autoimmune diseases. Ann Rheum Dis. 2017.

Rondaan C, van der Geest KSM, Eelsing E, Boots AMH, Bos NA, Westra J, Brouwer E. Decreased Immunity to Varicella Zoster Virus in Giant Cell Arteritis. Front Immunol. 2017.

van der Geest KSM, Brouwer E, Sanders JS, Sandovici M, Bos NA, Boots AMH, Abdulahad WH, Stegeman CA, Kallenberg CGM, Heeringa P, et al. Towards precision medicine in ANCA-associated vasculitis. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2017.

Tete SM, Kipling D, Westra J, de Haan A, Bijl M, Dunn-Walters DK, Sahota SS, Bos NA. Monoclonal paraprotein influences baseline B-cell repertoire diversity and perturbates influenza vaccination-induced B-cell response. Exp Hematol. 2015.

Hamza N, Hershberg U, Kallenberg CG, Vissink A, Spijkervet FK, Bootsma H, Kroese FG, Bos NA. Ig gene analysis reveals altered selective pressures on Ig-producing cells in parotid glands of primary Sjogren’s syndrome patients. J Immunol. 2015.

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Theses

N. Hamza: Analysis of B cell selection in autoimmune diseases. Awarded: 2012

S. Tete: Influenza vaccination-induced B cell response in monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. Awarded: 2014

Current PhD projects

C. Rondaan: Immunity to varicella-zoster virus in immunocompromised patients

L. Wang: Immunity to varicella zoster in lung transplantation patients

Y Zhou: Learning of competences in a differentiated medical curriculum