Principial Investigator,
PhD
Professor Experimental Nephrology & Transplant Immunology
Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands
Cees van Kooten studied biology in Amsterdam with specializations in immunology and molecular biology and in 1992 he successfully defended his thesis, entitled “The role of cytokines in the activation of human malignant B cells”. Subsequently, he spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the immunological research Institute from Schering Plough, Lyon France, where he studied the molecular interactions between T-and B-cells, followed by a fellowship of the Royal Dutch Academy of Science (KNAW) to investigate the role of CD40-CD40L in the rejection of transplanted kidneys. In 2009 he was appointed as professor in Experimental Nephrology and Transplant Immunology at the Leiden University Medical Center.
His research is at the crossroad of immunology, nephrology and transplantation. A connecting theme of this research is the role of the innate immune system in glomerulonephritis, renal inflammation and graft rejection, covering both the cellular (DC and other antigen presenting cells) and humoral components (complement). His research group within the department of Internal Medicine – Nephrology contributes to the translational research within the LuVaCs (Lupus, Vasculitis and Complement-mediated renal diseases) center as well as the Leiden Transplant Center,
Professor Cees van Kooten is actively involved in the pre- and post-graduate immunological education of (Bio-)Medical students and is chair of the Exam Committee of Biomedical Sciences. He actively served on the board of the Dutch Society of Immunology, Scientific Board of the Dutch Kidney Foundation, the Immunonephrology Working Group of the European Renal Association (ERA/EDTA) and the Basic Science Committee of the European Society of Organ Transplantation (ESOT).