Leendert Trouw is a professor of immunology. For his research into the role of complement and autoantibodies he received financial support via an NWO ZonMW Veni and Vidi grant as well as more recently an ERC-consolidator grant.

More information about Leendert Trouw

Complementbiology and -therapy

The scientific chair of Prof. Trouw is entitled; Complementbiology and -therapy. 

With this new position he will further develop the research and education regarding complement and he will harmonize the already ongoing research on this topic.

For only a limited number of clinical conditions complement inhibitory or complement activating therapies are currently employed while likely many more (chronic) conditions could benefit from such an intervention. By performing detailed research into the role of complement in the pathology and by identifying suitable biomarkers for personalized medicine and for start / stop decisions for the medication, more insight will be obtained into which conditions would be eligible and in which phase of the disease the treatment should be started and stopped. In addition, Prof. Trouw and his team will develop new therapeutics that will allow targeted and local complement inhibition for example in autoimmune diseases or alternatively to locally enhance complement activity to fight tumors or infections.

Academic Career

Prof. Trouw studied Biology at the University of Leiden en conducted his PhD training with Prof Daha and Prof van Kooten at the department of Nephrology of the LUMC. He obtained the PhD on 08-06-2004 after defending the thesis with the title: Pathologic significance of autoantibodies against C1q in the development of nephritis. The topics complement and autoantibodies served as a red line throughout his career. 

Next he worked as a post-doc in Sweden for thee years with Prof. Blom and focused on the role of endogenous complement inhibitors in autoimmunity.

Financially supported by a NWO ZonMW Veni grant he moved back to the LUMC. Now at the department of Rheumatology he worked with Prof. Toes and Prof Huizinga on the role of complement and autoantibodies in a more clinical setting. Obtaining an ZonMW Vidi grant allowed him to expand his team and now as an assistant professor study a new autoantibody that was identified by his team. In this period the teaching duties expanded and formalized including a role as a course coordinator and year coordinator for Biomedical Sciences. After obtaining an ERC-consolidator grant he continued his work, now as an associate professor, at the department of Immunology of the LUMC to obtain the best embedding for his research on complement and antibodies in a broad set of clinical conditions.

Activities