Danny de Vos

Research

My research focuses on vaccine responses in secondary lymphoid organs. We are interested in how these lymphoid organs contribute to the formation of long-lived immunological memory responses following pneumococcal vaccination. Using ultrasound-guided fine needle aspirations, we collect cells from the lymph nodes of healthy volunteers after vaccination. These cells are then phenotyped by spectral flow cytometry, allowing us to look at antigen-specific B cells in depth. We compare the immune response in these lymph nodes to the response observed in peripheral blood, aiming to find peripheral blood correlates of germinal center responses. In addition, we are interested in how these responses are impacted by age and/or vaccine platform.

Curriculum Vitae

After receiving my BSc. in Biomedical Sciences from Leiden University, I pursued a MSc. in Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. My MSc. thesis focused on the interaction between H. pylori and macrophages and how this impacts the risk of gastric cancer. I did elective clinical rotations at the department of Internal Medicine at the LUMC and Erasmus MC, focusing on infectious diseases and clinical immunology and allergology, respectively. After obtaining my MSc degree, I started my PhD in the group of Simon Jochems and Anna Roukens, focusing on vaccine-induced germinal center responses.