Jump to top menu Jump to main menu Jump to content
logo herpeslab
Research group/lab  |  Georges M.G.M. Verjans, MSc PhD

HerpeslabNL

The aim of the Herpesvirus Lab is to elucidate the virus-host interactions involved in the immune control and pathogenesis of herpesvirus infections in humans

About our research group/lab

Research

The HerpeslabNL aims to elucidate the virus and host factors involved in the immune control and pathogenesis of the human neurotropic herpes simplex viruses (HSV) and varicella zoster virus (VZV) in their natural host.

A hallmark of these herpesviruses is their ability to establish a lifelong latent infection after primary infection of neurons in sensory ganglia (HSV) or along the entire neuraxis (VZV). Reactivation of latent virus, which occasionally leads to recrudescent disease, is controlled by innate and adaptive immunity. Virus-specific immune responses are commonly beneficial (control of latent infection in sensory neurons), but can also cause detrimental disease affecting the eye (uveitis and keratitis) or the brain (encephalitis and potentially Alzheimer’s disease). The HerpeslabNL has developed a unique infrastructure to acquire human clinical specimens in combination with state-of-the-art methodologies to characterize the virus status (genome, proteome and transcriptome), the virus’ cell tropism, and the innate and adaptive cell types present at the site of infection including their antigen-specificity and effector functions. This enables the identification of the key host and virus factors that determine the clinical outcome of alpha-herpesvirus infections and disease.

The ultimate goal of our research is to develop novel intervention strategies aimed to prevent virus reactivation and herpesvirus-induced pathogenesis.

Team, alumni, and dissertations

Current team:

 Photo Georges Verjans  Werner Ouwendijk
Georges M.G.M. Verjans
Associate professor (PI)
Emailg.verjans@erasmusmc.nl
ORCID ID
Werner J.D. Ouwendijk
Assistant professor
Emailw.ouwendijk@erasmusmc.nl
ORCID ID
Link to thesis W.J.D. Ouwendijk (2013)
   Photo Maaike
Michiel van Gent
Assistant professor
Email: m.vangent@erasmusmc.nl
ORCID ID
Maaike Moelker-Hang
Project Manager - Grant Advisor
Email: m.moelker@erasmusmc.nl
   Photo Fatiha Zaaraoui Boutahar
José Afonso Guerra-Assunção
Post-doc
Fatiha Zaaraoui-Boutahar
Technician
Email: f.zaaraoui@erasmusmc.nl
 Photo Tamana Mehraban  Sem van 't Geloof
Tamana Khemai-Mehraba
Technician
Email: t.mehraban@erasmusmc.nl
Sem M. van ‘t Geloof 
Technician
Email: s.vantgeloof@erasmusmc.nl

Photo Seyar Rashidi

Ahmad Seyar Rashidi
Graduate student
Email: a.rashidi@erasmusmc.nl
Diana N. Tran
Graduate student
Email d.tran@erasmusmc.nl
             Mark Power   Lex Havelaar
Mark Power 
Graduate student
Email: m.power@erasmusmc.nl
Lex Havelaar 
Graduate student
Email: a.havelaar@erasmusmc.nl
Anaïs Wiech    Teun van der Klugt
Anaïs M.T.Y. Wiech
Graduate student
Email: a.wiech@erasmusmc.nl 
Teun van der Klugt
Graduate student
Email: t.klugt@erasmusmc.nl

Alumni

Post-doctoral fellows
 Current position
Gulce Sari  2022-2023 Post-doc at Dept Gastroenterology and Hepatology (Erasmus MC)
 
Peter-Paul Unger
 
2019 – 2021
 
Scientist at Thermo Fisher Scientific (Leiden, Netherlands)
 
 
Eveline D. de Geus
 
2014 – 2015
 
Post-doc at Hudson Institute of Medical Research (Melbourne, Australia)

 

Graduate students  Current position
Shirley Braspenning 2017 - 2020 

Post-doc at NYU Langone Health (New York, USA)
Link to thesis S. Braspenning (2022)

Gijs P. van Nierop
2010 – 2018

Post-doc at Erasmus MC (Rotterdam, Netherlands) 
Link to thesis G.P. van Nierop (2018)
 
Erik Schaftenaar
2012 – 2016 

Microbiologist at St. Antonius hospital (Utrecht, Netherlands)
Link to thesis E. Schaftenaar (2016)
 
Monique van Velzen
2008 – 2013

Assistant professor at LUMC (Leiden, Netherlands)
Link to thesis M. van Velzen (2013)
 
Rui Duan
2004 – 2009


Scientist at Kite Pharma (Den Haag, Netherlands)
Link to thesis R. Duan (2009)
 

Jeroen Maertzdorf
1998 – 2002

Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology (Berlin, Germany)
Link to thesis J. Maertzdorf (2002)
 
Lies Remeijer
1997 – 2002

Chief ophthalmologist (Rotterdam, Netherlands)
Link to thesis L. Remeijer (2002)
 

Msc Students
Fulya Koc
2023-2024 LinkedIn Fulya Koc
Mafalda Guerreiro Cabana
2024 LinkedIn MafaldaGuerreiro Cabana
Amber Schotting
2023-2024 LinkedIn Amber Schotting
Jochem Weekers
2023-2024 LinkedIn Jochem Weekers

Projects

Ongoing projects & Completed projects

Ongoing


Virus-specific tissue-resident T cells in brain of Alzheimer’s disease patients
Project Aims
: To determine the phenotype, function and reactivity towards herpesviruses of brain-infiltrating T cells in AD patients.
Team: José Afonso Guerra-Assunção, Sem van 't Geloof & Werner Ouwendijk
Funding: Alzheimer Nederland (WE.03-2024-17)


Impact of virus infections on the development of Alzheimer’s disease
Project Aims: To define the association between virus infection and risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Team: Werner Ouwendijk
Funding: Dutch Research Council (NWO: OCENW.XS22.3.025)


Awakening of a sleeping virus: chromatin control of varicella-zoster virus latency and reactivation.
Project Aims: To determine how chromatin modifications affect VZV latency and reactivation.
Team: Team: Anaïs Wiech & Werner Ouwendijk
International collaboration: Tomohiko Sadaoka (Kobe University, Kobe, Japan) & Daniel P. Depledge (Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany)
Funding: Dutch Research Council (NWO: OCENW.M.22.052)


Intrinsic control of neurotropic herpesvirus infection
Project Aims: Characterization of (1) human cell-intrinsic control mechanisms that restrict neurotropic herpesvirus infection as well as (2) viral evasion mechanisms that counteract intrinsic host responses
Team: Michiel van Gent
Collaboration: Not applicable\
Funding: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship & Dutch Research Council (NWO) Vidi 


Large Scale T Cell Epitope Discovery: Local and Systemic T-cell Response to Herpes Simplex Virus
Project Aims:
To characterize the phenotype, functional characteristics and fine antigen specificity of virus-specific T-cells in HSV-1 infected human corneas and trigeminal ganglia.
Team: Michiel van Gent & Georges M.G.M. Verjans
International collaboration: David M. Koelle (University of Washington, Seattle WA)
Funding: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (75N93019C00063-0-9999-1)

Role of VZV latency transcript (VLT) and ORF63 in latency and reactivation

Project Aims: To determine the role of VLT and ORF63 in latency establishment/ maintenance/ reactivation in human neurons ex vivo, in situ and in vitro.
Team: Lex Havelaar,Shirley E. Braspenning, Werner J.D. Ouwendijk & Georges M.G.M. Verjans
International collaboration: Paul (Kip) R. Kinchington (University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA)
Funding: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R01-AI151290-01A1)

Cell death in the central nervous system: mechanisms and impact on disease pathogenesis.

Project Aims: To identify the types of cell death that occur in diseases in the CNS, identify the molecular mechanisms involved, and decipher the impact on pathology.
Team: Ahmad Seyar Rashidi & Georges M.G.M. Verjans
International collaboration: Søren R. Paludan (Aarhus University Aarhus, Denmark)
Funding: Lundbeckfonden (R276-2018-192)

 Completed projects

 
Cutaneous Pathogen-Specific Tissue Resident Memory T Cells in Human Aging

Project Aims: To determine the role of HSV-1 reactive T-cells in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease.
Team: Michiel van Gent, Peter-Paul Unger & Georges M.G.M. Verjans
International collaboration: David M. Koelle (University of Washington, Seattle WA)
Funding: National Institute of Aging (R01-AG064800-02S1)
 
Human organotypic brain slice model: a novel platform to study virus-induced neuropathology

Project Aims: To determine the virus tropism and pathogenesis of neurotropic viruses using the human ex-vivo brain slice culture platform to be developed.
Team: Diana N. Tran & Georges M.G.M. Verjans
International collaboration: not applicable
Funding: Erasmus MC: Human Disease Model Award
 
Single cell analysis of T-cell receptors and transcriptome in tissue of multiple sclerosis patients

Project Aims: To determine the fine antigen specificity, function and spatial orientation of dominant CD8 T-cells in brain lesions of multiple sclerosis patients.
Team: Peter-Paul Unger & Georges M.G.M. Verjans
International collaboration:Stephen J. Elledge (Harvard Medical School, Boston MA) & Roland Martin (University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland)
Funding: Dutch MS Research Foundation (17-995 MS)

Publications

2024

  • Marshall EM*, Rashidi AS*, van Gent M, Rockx B, Verjans GM. Neurovirulence of Usutu virus in human fetal organotypic brain slice cultures partially resembles Zika and West Nile virus. Sci Rep. 2024;14:20095. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-71050-w.

  • Zheng S, Verjans GM, Evers A, van den Wittenboer E, Tjhie JH, Snoeck R, Wiertz EJ, Andrei G, van Kampen JJ, Lebbink RJ. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing of the thymidine kinase gene in a clinical HSV-1 isolate identifies F289S as novel acyclovir-resistant mutation. Antiviral Res. 2024;228:105950. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2024.105950.

  • Heinz JL, Hinke DM, Maimaitili M, Wang J, Sabli IKD, Thomsen M, Farahani E, Ren F, Hu L, Zillinger T, Grahn A, von Hofsten J, Verjans GM, Paludan SR, Viejo-Borbolla A, Sancho-Shimizu V, Mogensen TH. Varicella zoster virus-induced autophagy in human neuronal and hematopoietic cells exerts antiviral activity. J Med Virol. 2024;96:e29690. doi: 10.1002/jmv.29690.

  • Ouwendijk WJ, Roychoudhury P, Cunningham AL, Jerome KR, Koelle DM, Kinchington PR, Mohr I, Wilson AC, Verjans GM*, Depledge DP*. Reply to Wang et al., "Ample evidence for the presence of HSV-1 LAT in non-neuronal ganglionic cells of mice and humans". J Virol. 2024;98:e0052024. doi: 10.1128/jvi.00520-24.

  • Rashidi AS*, Tran DN*, Peelen CR, van Gent M, Ouwendijk WJ, Verjans GM. Herpes simplex virus infection induces necroptosis of neurons and astrocytes in human fetal organotypic brain slice cultures. J Neuroinflammation. 2024;21:38. doi: 10.1186/s12974-024-03027-5.

    2023

  • Heinz JL, Swagemakers SM, von Hofsten J, Helleberg M, Thomsen MM, De Keukeleere K, de Boer JH, Ilginis T, Verjans GM, van Hagen PM, van der Spek PJ, Mogensen TH. Whole exome sequencing of patients with varicella-zoster virus and herpes simplex virus induced acute retinal necrosis reveals rare disease- associated genetic variants. Front Mol Neurosci. 2023;16:1253040. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1253040.

  • Hullegie-Peelen DM, Tejeda Mora H, Hesselink DA, Bindels EM, van den Bosch TP, Clahsen-van Groningen MC, Dieterich M, Heidt S, Minnee RC, Verjans GM, Hoogduijn MJ, Baan CC. Virus-specific TRM cells of both donor and recipient origin reside in human kidney transplants. JCI Insight. 2023;8:e172681. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.172681.

  • Ren F, Narita R, Rashidi AS, Fruhwürth S, Gao Z, Bak RO, Thomsen MK, Verjans GM, Reinert LS*, Paludan SR*. ER stress induces caspase-2-tBID-GSDME-dependent cell death in neurons lytically infected with herpes simplex virus type 2. EMBO J. 2023;42:e113118. doi: 10.15252/embj.2022113118.

  • Malahe SR*, van Kampen JJ*, Manintveld OC, Hoek RA, den Hoed CM, Baan CC, Kho MM, Verjans GM. Current Perspectives on the Management of Herpesvirus Infections in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients. Viruses. 2023;15:1595. doi: 10.3390/v15071595.

  • Ouwendijk WJ, Roychoudhury P, Cunningham AL, Jerome KR, Koelle DM, Kinchington PR, Mohr I, Wilson AC, Verjans GM*, Depledge DP*. Reanalysis of single-cell RNA sequencing data does not support herpes simplex virus 1 latency in non-neuronal ganglionic cells in mice. J Virol. 2024;98:e0185823. doi: 10.1128/jvi.01858-23.

  • ·van Gent M, Ouwendijk WJ, Campbell VL, Laing KJ, Verjans GM*, Koelle DM*. Varicella-zoster virus proteome-wide T-cell screening demonstrates low prevalence of virus-specific CD8 T-cells in latently infected human trigeminal ganglia. J Neuroinflammation. 2023;20:141. doi: 10.1186/s12974-023-02820-y.

  • Hoornweg TE, Godeke GJ, Hoogerwerf MN, van Kasteren PB, de Vries A, Sprong H, Verjans GM, van Riel D, Reimerink JH, Rockx B*, Reusken CB*. Rescue and in vitro characterization of a divergent TBEV-Eu strain from the Netherlands. Sci Rep. 2023;13:2872. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-29075-0.

    2022

  • Laing KJ, Ouwendijk WJ, Campbell VL, McClurkan CL, Mortazavi S, Elder Waters M, Krist MP, Tu R, Nguyen N, Basu K, Miao C, Schmid DS, Johnston C, Verjans GM, Koelle DM. Selective retention of virus-specific tissue-resident T cells in healed skin after recovery from herpes zoster. Nat Commun. 2022;13:6957. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-34698-4.

  • Unger PA, Oja AE, Khemai-Mehraban T, Ouwendijk WJ, Hombrink P, Verjans GM. T-cells in human trigeminal ganglia express canonical tissue-resident memory T-cell markers. J Neuroinflammation. 2022;19:249. doi: 10.1186/s12974-022-02611-x.

  • Mulder EE, Damman J, Verver D, van der Veldt AA, Tas S, Khemai-Mehraban T, Heezen KC, Wouters RA, Verhoef C, Verjans GM, Langerak AW, Grünhagen DJ, Mooyaart AL. Histopathological and immunological spectrum in response evaluation of talimogene laherparepvec treatment and correlation with durable response in patients with cutaneous melanoma. Melanoma Res. 2022;32:249-259. doi: 10.1097/CMR.0000000000000824.

  • Katzilieris-Petras G, Lai X, Rashidi AS, Verjans GM, Reinert LS*, Paludan SR*. Microglia Activate Early Antiviral Responses upon Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Entry into the Brain to Counteract Development of Encephalitis-Like Disease in Mice. J Virol. 2022;96:e0131121. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01311-21.

  • Tran DN, Bakx AT, van Dis V, Aronica E, Verdijk RM, Ouwendijk WJ. No evidence of aberrant amyloid β and phosphorylated tau expression in herpes simplex virus-infected neurons of the trigeminal ganglia and brain. Brain Pathol. 2022;32:e13044. doi: 10.1111/bpa.13044.

    2021

  • Braspenning SE, Lebbink RJ, Depledge DP, Schapendonk CM, Anderson LA, Verjans GM, Sadaoka T*, Ouwendijk WJ*. Mutagenesis of the Varicella-Zoster Virus Genome Demonstrates That VLT and VLT-ORF63 Proteins Are Dispensable for Lytic Infection. Viruses. 2021;13:2289. doi: 10.3390/v13112289.

  • Braspenning SE, Verjans GM, Mehraban T, Messaoudi I, Depledge DP*, Ouwendijk WJ*. The architecture of the simian varicella virus transcriptome. PLoS Pathog. 2021;17:e1010084. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010084.

  • Zhu S, Stanslowsky N, Fernández-Trillo J, Mamo TM, Yu P, Kalmbach N, Ritter B, Eggenschwiler R, Ouwendijk WJ, Mzinza D, Tan L, Leffler A, Spohn M, Brown RJ, Kropp KA, Kaever V, Ha TC, Narayanan P, Grundhoff A, Förster R, Schambach A, Verjans GM, Schmidt M, Kispert A, Cantz T, Gomis A, Wegner F, Viejo-Borbolla A. Generation of hiPSC-derived low threshold mechanoreceptors containing axonal termini resembling bulbous sensory nerve endings and expressing Piezo1 and Piezo2. Stem Cell Res. 2021;56:102535. doi: 10.1016/j.scr.2021.102535.

  • St Leger AJ, Koelle DM, Kinchington PR, Verjans GM. Local Immune Control of Latent Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 in Ganglia of Mice and Man. Front Immunol. 2021;12:723809. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.723809.

  • Laksono BM*, Tran DN*, Kondova I, van Engelen HGH, Michels S, Nambulli S, de Vries RD, Duprex WP, Verjans GM, de Swart RL. Comparable Infection Level and Tropism of Measles Virus and Canine Distemper Virus in Organotypic Brain Slice Cultures Obtained from Natural Host Species. Viruses. 2021;13:1582. doi: 10.3390/v13081582.

  • Guerra-Assunção JA*, van Kampen JJ*, Roy S, Remeijer L, Breuer J, Verjans GM. Cluster of Symptomatic Graft-to-Host Transmission of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 in an Endothelial Keratoplasty Setting. Ophthalmol Sci. 2021;1:100051. doi: 10.1016/j.xops.2021.100051.

  • Petry M, Palus M, Leitzen E, Mitterreiter JG, Huang B, Kröger A, Verjans GM, Baumgärtner W, Rimmelzwaan GF, Růžek D, Osterhaus AD, Prajeeth CK. Immunity to TBEV Related Flaviviruses with Reduced Pathogenicity Protects Mice from Disease but Not from TBEV Entry into the CNS. Vaccines (Basel). 2021;9:196. doi: 10.3390/vaccines9030196.

  • Ouwendijk WJ, Raadsen MP, van Kampen JJ, Verdijk RM, von der Thusen JH, Guo L, Hoek RA, van den Akker JP, Endeman H, Langerak T, Molenkamp R, Gommers D, Koopmans MP, van Gorp EC, Verjans GM, Haagmans BL. High Levels of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Persist in the Lower Respiratory Tract of Critically Ill Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019. J Infect Dis. 2021;223:1512-1521. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiab050.

  • Lamers MM*, van der Vaart J*, Knoops K, Riesebosch S, Breugem TI, Mykytyn AZ, Beumer J, Schipper D, Bezstarosti K, Koopman CD, Groen N, Ravelli RBG, Duimel HQ, Demmers JAA, Verjans GM, Koopmans MP, Muraro MJ, Peters PJ, Clevers H**, Haagmans BL**. An organoid-derived bronchioalveolar model for SARS-CoV-2 infection of human alveolar type II-like cells. EMBO J. 2021;40:e105912. doi: 10.15252/embj.2020105912.

  • Reinert LS, Rashidi AS*, Tran DN*, Katzilieris-Petras G, Hvidt AK, Gohr M, Fruhwürth S, Bodda C, Thomsen MK, Vendelbo MH, Khan AR, Hansen B, Bergström P, Agholme L, Mogensen TH, Christensen MH, Nyengaard JR, Sen GC, Zetterberg H, Verjans GM, Paludan SR. Brain immune cells undergo cGAS/STING-dependent apoptosis during herpes simplex virus type 1 infection to limit type I IFN production. J Clin Invest. 2021;131:e136824. doi: 10.1172/JCI136824.

  • Verdijk RM, Ouwendijk WJ, Kuijpers RW, Verjans GM. No Evidence of Varicella-Zoster Virus Infection in Temporal Artery Biopsies of Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy Patients With and Without Giant Cell Arteritis. J Infect Dis. 2021;223:109-112. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa566.

    2020

  • Ouwendijk WJ*, Depledge DP*, Rajbhandari L, Lenac Rovis T, Jonjic S, Breuer J, Venkatesan A, Verjans GM, Sadaoka T. Varicella-zoster virus VLT-ORF63 fusion transcript induces broad viral gene expression during reactivation from neuronal latency. Nat Commun. 2020;11:6324. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-20031-4.

  • Braspenning SE, Sadaoka T, Breuer J, Verjans GM, Ouwendijk WJ*, Depledge DP*. Decoding the Architecture of the Varicella-Zoster Virus Transcriptome. mBio. 2020;11:e01568-20. doi: 10.1128/mBio.01568-20.

  • Ouwendijk WJ, van den Ham HJ, Delany MW, van Kampen JJ, van Nierop GP, Mehraban T, Zaaraoui-Boutahar F, van IJcken WF, van den Brand JM, de Vries RD, Andeweg AC, Verjans GM. Alveolar barrier disruption in varicella pneumonia is associated with neutrophil extracellular trap formation. JCI Insight. 2020;5:e138900. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.138900.

  • Koetzier SC, van Langelaar J, Blok KM, van den Bosch TP, Wierenga-Wolf AF, Melief MJ, Pol K, Siepman TA, Verjans GM, Smolders J, Lubberts E, de Vries HE, van Luijn MM. Brain-homing CD4 T cells display glucocorticoid-resistant features in MS. Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm. 2020;7:e894. doi: 10.1212/NXI.0000000000000894.

  • Ouwendijk WJ, Dekker LJ, van den Ham HJ, Lenac Rovis T, Haefner ES, Jonjic S, Haas J, Luider TM, Verjans GM. Analysis of Virus and Host Proteomes During Productive HSV-1 and VZV Infection in Human Epithelial Cells. Front Microbiol. 2020;11:1179. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01179.

  • Windster JD, Ouwendijk WJ, Sloots CEJ, Verjans GM, Verdijk RM. Ileocolic Intussusception as the Presenting Symptom of Primary Enteric Varicella-Zoster Virus Infection in a 7-Month-Old Infant. J Infect Dis. 2020;222:305-308. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa148.

  • Casto AM, Roychoudhury P, Xie H, Selke S, Perchetti GA, Wofford H, Huang ML, Verjans GM, Gottlieb GS, Wald A, Jerome KR, Koelle DM, Johnston C, Greninger AL. Large, Stable, Contemporary Interspecies Recombination Events in Circulating Human Herpes Simplex Viruses. J Infect Dis. 2020;221:1271-1279. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiz199.

Collaborations

Collaborations within Erasmus MC

Collaborations outside of Erasmus MC

News

 2024

21-11-2024

Er is een vaccin tegen gordelroos, maar dat wordt niet vergoed.

Magda (81) kreeg flinke klachten door gordelroos: ’Stekende brandende pijn die maar niet minder werd.

Telegraaf, 21-11-2024, With contribution from George Verjans

31-10-2024

Research Grant for Werner Ouwendijk within the Call Biomedical Research 2024 from Alzheimer Nederland

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. The cause remains unknown, but we are gradually gaining a better understanding of the disease’s progression and underlying processes. Notably, the immune system, which usually protects us from pathogens, becomes dysregulated and appears to worsen the disease. It is unclear why this occurs and which role the different immune cells play in this process. In this project, we will map the characteristics of T cells in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients and healthy individuals.

21-10-2024

All you need to know about shingles. Scratching doesn’t help

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus responsible for chickenpox. In industrialized countries, one in three people will experience shingles at some point, with outbreaks having significant impacts. The virus remains dormant in the body after a person has had chickenpox, typically during childhood. It can reactivate later in life, often due to a weakened immune system, stress, or aging, leading to shingles.

The initial symptoms include itching, pain, and sometimes fever or a flu-like feeling. This is followed by a rash with red spots and blisters, usually appearing in a band-like pattern on one side of the body. Shingles is not usually dangerous but can be very painful and may lead to complications such as chronic pain, blindness, or strokes.

Treatment involves antiviral medications to reduce the severity and duration of symptoms, and pain relief measures. Vaccination against the varicella-zoster virus is available and recommended for older adults and those with weakened immune systems. Despite the availability of a vaccine, it is not part of the standard vaccination program in the Netherlands, unlike in some other countries.

Women are slightly more at risk than men, possibly due to hormonal influences on the immune system. The disease can be particularly severe if it affects the face, potentially leading to eye infections and, in rare cases, blindness. Early medical intervention is crucial to manage symptoms and prevent complications.

Georges Verjans contributed to this article.

Read the whole article on Libelle.nl

14 August 2024

Guest Lecture 'Long read HiFi sequencing: the next revolution for rare (immune) disease research

Prof. Alexander Hoischen
Dept. Human Genetics & Internal Medicine, Radboud UMC

Date: 14 August 2024
Location: Room EE-822
Time: 15:30 - 16:15 

Talk Hoischen

 

14 April 2024, NRC

A finger on the sore cold sore
It was an exciting invention, but it turned out to be poorly executed. A study into the herpes virus shows where things can go wrong with data research.

The cold sore virus is good at playing hide and seek. It has been clear for decades where this virus, herpes simplex (HSV), hides in the body, but how exactly this hiding works remains mysterious. When scientists in the United States reported last year, based on a new technique with large amounts of data, that the virus is hiding in more places than had been known all along, herpes researchers worldwide were immediately interested.
Could this be the reason it is so difficult to make vaccines? Should the common approach to making antivirals change?
"It was a very exciting discovery," says Georges Verjans, lead researcher at Herpeslab NL at the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam. "It just turned out not to be true. The research was poorly conducted." But before Verjans and his colleagues figured this out, there was a tug-of-war over the data and then extensive reanalysis. Afterwards, correcting the incorrect conclusions also turned out to be a major hurdle.

Read the article (PDF in Dutch)

1 March 2024

Tim and Anja had shingles: 'The pain was nauseating'

“I have had a few ailments. But this was really miserable. I never want shingles again,” says Rotterdam resident Tim van der Meer (40). The disease left a deep impression on him. Shingles is common: one in three Dutch people will experience it at some point.

When Tim continues to talk, it becomes clear why he never wants to experience the disease again. Even though it didn't even last a week for him. “I couldn't do anything anymore, it hurt so much. Don't lie down, don't sit down. Nothing." Tim couldn't lie down and therefore couldn't sleep. “I was awake for nights.”

Anja van Loo (66) also lay awake a lot when she had shingles. “It hurts so much, it's terrible,” she says. “You just don't know how to lie.” Anja ended up suffering from it for a month.

'Whatever'
Although one in three people will develop shingles at some point in their lives, it is a disease that experts say we don't pay enough attention to. That is why an awareness week is now being organized for the second time to draw attention to the symptoms.
“It is a disease that many people think 'It's okay', but it is really serious. One in ten suffers from a lot of pain and the pain can last for months," says shingles expert and scientific researcher from Erasmus MC Georges Verjans.
Tim had shingles on the right side of his torso, he said. “It looked like a straight piece of cloth from below the chest to the back.” Anja had it on her left side with a few spots on the back.
The worst spot is on the face, Verjans sees. Then you run the risk of infecting the eyes.

Read the whole article on Rijnmond Nieuws (in Dutch)

2023
December 2023

Guest Lecture 'Modeling Covid-19 immunity and therapy

Prof. Joshua T. Schiffer, MD 
Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Date: 7 December 2023
Location: Room EE-822
Time: 13:00 - 14:00 

November 2023

Guest Lecture 'Early host defense and immune responses to herpesvirus infections

Date: 16 november 2023
Location: Room EE-822
Time: 16:00 - 17:00 


July 2023

Ius promovendi awarded to the HerpeslabNL PI:

The Erasmus MC’s Doctorate Board has granted dr. G.M.G.M. Verjans the Ius promovendi.

June 2023

Michiel van Gent receives prestigious personal grant (VIDI) from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) to study intrinsic immunity against viral infections of the human nervous system

Seven scientists from Erasmus MC receive a grant from NWO for their research. This will enable the laureates to develop an innovative line of research over the next five years and to further expand their own research group. Six Vidis have been awarded and a subsidy through the Open Technology Programme. Michiel van Gent is one of them.

Viral infections of the nervous system can have very serious consequences, such as permanent neurological damage in newborns, eye infections that can lead to permanent blindness, and inflammation in the brain with fatal outcome.

This research will determine how nerve cells arm themselves against these infections to ensure that harmful viruses cannot enter. A better understanding of these protective processes will provide starting points for the development of new drugs and therapies to combat these viral infections and thus prevent serious disorders of the nervous system.

May 2023

Werner Ouwendijk received an ENW-M grant from the Dutch NWO Domain Board Science to investigate how herpesviruses establish latency and how they can reactivate.  Link 

Awakening a sleeping virus
Dr. W.J.D. (Werner) Ouwendijk (Erasmus medisch centrum)

Herpesviruses are an important cause of severe diseases in humans and animals. Following infection herpesviruses persist in the host as latent virus (i.e., the virus enters a sleep mode). Later in life, the virus can awaken (reactivation) to cause recurrent disease. I will investigate how herpesviruses establish latency and how they can reactivate. Hereto, I will be using varicella-zoster virus (VZV), the cause of chickenpox and shingles, as a model. More insight into these poorly understood processes will be essential for the development of new therapies that prevent reactivation of VZV and possibly other herpesviruses.

2022

November 2022

Werner Ouwendijk received an ENW XS grant to explore the link between virus infections and Alzheimer’s disease Link (In Dutch)

Impact of virus infections on the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. W.J.D. (Werner) Ouwendijk (Erasmus medisch centrum)

Infectious diseases increase the risk of getting Alzheimer's disease. How pathogens contribute to Alzheimer's is unclear. In this study, I will use a powerful and innovative technique to analyze the history of virus infections during the lifetime of an individual. By comparing Alzheimer's patients with non-demented controls, I can identify specific viruses or combinations of virus infections that are associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease. This knowledge encourages further research into how these viruses contribute to the disease and can prioritize the development of new antiviral therapies or vaccines.

October 2022

On Tuesday October 25 2022 Shirley Braspenning successfully defended her PhD dissertation ‘Molecular Biology of Lytic and Latent Varicellovirus Infections’. Link to thesis.

Defense S. Braspenning

Juli 2022

Minisymposium "Herpesviruses: molecular interactions between virus and host" 

Date: 24 october 2022
Location: Science Tower, Rotterdam and online
Time: 13:00 - 17:15 

ON LINE ZOOM LINK

Synopsis_Bibliography Speakers

Program Minisymposium Herpesviruses: molecular interactions between virus and host

REGISTER HERE 

Photo Graduation Mike EtermanMay 2022:
After performing an 8-month internship in the HerpesLab, Mike Eterman obtained his MSc degree in Biomedical Sciences at the Leiden University Medical Center. Dr. Werner Ouwendijk attended the graduation ceremony and awarded Mike his degree (image; Mike: left, Werner: right).


March 2022:
HerpesLab researcher Dr. Michiel van Gent is awarded a two-year Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (link).

 

 

Join us

Interested in joining us?

GENERAL POSITIONS:

We are always seeking talented and passionate scientists to join our team, from students to postdocs to staff scientists. If you are interested in joining us, please send an email to HerpeslabNL@erasmusmc.nl and include your CV and contact information for 2-3 references.

PhD POSITIONS

None at the moment

STUDENT INTERNSHIPS:

  1. Evasion of T cell and NK cell immunity by varicella-zoster virus 
    (n=1 internship; already filled in until summer 2025)
  2. Deciphering the role of herpes virus simplex reactive T‐cells in human corneas and sensory ganglia (n=1 internship; available September 2024)
  3. Intrinsic immune control of neurotropic virus infections 
    (n=2 internships; available September 2024)
  4. Trans-axonal transport of varicella-zoster virus
    (n=1 internship; already filled in until summer 2025) 
  5. Chromatin Control of Varicella-Zoster Virus Latency and Reactivation
    (n=1 internship; already filled in until summer 2025)