معرفی
Rene E. M. Toes serves as Professor of Experimental Rheumatology at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) since 2010 and has headed the Laboratory of the Department of Rheumatology at LUMC since 2001. He was elected to Academia Europaea in 2021 and holds an ORCID identifier 0000-0002-9618-6414. His institutional affiliations include the Leiden University Medical Center, where he chairs the LUMC Graduate School Council and serves on the scientific advisory board of the MS Research Foundation.
- Professor of Experimental Rheumatology, Leiden University/LUMC (2010-present)
- Head of Laboratory, Department of Rheumatology, LUMC (2001-present)
- Associate Professor in Immunology and Immunogenetics of Rheumatoid Arthritis, LUMC (2005-2009)
- Assistant Professor in Immunology of Rheumatoid Arthritis, LUMC (2001-2004)
- Fellow of the Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences, University of Tübingen (1998-2000)
Professor Toes is a leading international expert in immune-regulation of human autoimmune diseases, particularly Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). His research has fundamentally transformed understanding of how T-cell tolerance is broken in RA pathogenesis and how Human Leucocyte Antigens (HLA) contribute to disease development. He demonstrated that HLA predisposes specifically to Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibodies (ACPA)-positive RA rather than RA generally. His group pioneered critical discoveries including the cross-reactivity of ACPA toward multiple citrullinated antigens, the expansion of autoantibody responses before disease onset, and the visualization and characterization of ACPA-expressing B-cells. His work extends to anti-Carbamylated Protein Antibodies and their relationship to other autoantibody families in RA.
His research portfolio spans both tumor immunology (1991-2001) and autoimmune disease mechanisms (2001-present), with significant contributions to understanding immune tolerance breaches, B-cell and T-cell responses in autoimmune conditions, and the development of rheumatoid arthritis vaccines. His work on post-translational modifications has provided critical insights into autoimmune pathogenesis.
- 2020 ERC Advanced Grant
- 2018 Carol Nachman Prize (most prestigious international award in rheumatology)
- 2022 Van Loghem Career Award
- 2008 VICI grant (largest national grant for senior researchers)
- 2003 VIDI grant (prestigious grant for mid-career researchers)
- 1998 Fellow of Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Professor Toes has secured substantial research funding including the ERC Advanced Grant (2020), Dutch Arthritis Society Research Center of Excellence (2018-2023), and multiple Dutch Research Council grants. He chairs the LUMC Graduate School Council and serves on various scientific advisory boards including the MS Research Foundation. His leadership extends to directing the Experimental Rheumatology Laboratory at LUMC since 2001, where his team investigates immunological mechanisms underlying rheumatic diseases through cutting-edge approaches in cellular immunology and autoantibody research.