Reinaldus Toes
Professor Experimental Rheumatology
- Name
- Prof.dr. R.E.M. Toes
- Telephone
- +31 71 526 1946
- r.e.m.toes@lumc.nl
- ORCID iD
- 0000-0002-9618-6414
René E.M. Toes is professor of experimental rheumatology and has been the head of the Laboratory for Experimental Rheumatology at the LUMC since 2001. In 2018, he received the Carol Nachmann Prize for Rheumatology, and was awarded the Van Loghem Career Prize by the Dutch Society for Immunology in 2022. In 2021, he was appointed as a member of Academia Europaea. In 2020, he was granted an ERC Advanced Grant. Additionally, he serves as the chair of the scientific advisory board of foundation MS research and is a member of several scientific councils/boards. He is also chairing the Graduate School Council at the LUMC. Professor Toes' research focuses on various aspects of the immunological response underlying rheumatic conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
More information about Reinaldus Toes
René E.M. Toes is professor of experimental rheumatology and has been the head of the Laboratory for Experimental Rheumatology at the LUMC since 2001. In 2018, he received the Carol Nachmann Prize for Rheumatology, and was awarded the Van Loghem Career Prize by the Dutch Society for Immunology in 2022. In 2021, he was appointed as a member of Academia Europaea. In 2020, he was granted an ERC Advanced Grant. Additionally, he serves as the chair of the scientific advisory board of foundation MS research and is a member of several scientific councils/boards. He is also chairing the Graduate School Council at the LUMC. Professor Toes' research focuses on various aspects of the immunological response underlying rheumatic conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Autoimmune disease
The immune system is crucial for protecting against infections caused by viruses and bacteria. However, sometimes the immune system does not function properly and targets the body's own tissues. This can lead to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, or Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
Despite significant improvements in the treatment of many of these diseases in recent times, they still cannot be fully cured or prevented. Patients often suffer greatly from their chronic illness, impacting the way they can lead their lives. The research conducted by Professor Toes' research group focuses on understanding how and why the immune system derails and turns against the body's own tissues, leading to the development of autoimmune diseases. The group also develops methods that specifically target and/or eradicate the auto-reactive immune response. The goal of the research is to comprehend the origins and perpetuation of the autoimmune response underlying (rheumatic) autoimmune conditions. By identifying the causes of disease, the research aims to contribute to earlier and better treatments for rheumatic diseases, with the ultimate objective of curing or even preventing them in the future.
Academic career
René Toes completed his studies in Medical Biology at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam in 1989. In 1991, he began his doctoral research, and in 1996, he earned his Ph.D. from Leiden University. The title of his dissertation was "Modulation of tumoricidal T cell responses against adenovirus-induced tumors." Following this, he worked as a Postdoc at the Leiden University Medical Centre, where he further specialized in the fundamental aspects involved in the generation of T-cell responses. In 1998, he became a Fellow of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and worked as a researcher in the department of immunology at the University of Tübingen for a year and a half.
Since 2001, he has been the head of the Laboratory for Experimental Rheumatology at the LUMC. His inaugural lecture took place in 2011 and was titled “Experimentele reumatologie uitgelicht”.
Prizes and honourable appointments
1997 CJ Kok Prize for Innovative basic research, Medical faculty University of Leiden
1998 Fellow of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences: ““Mechanisms of exogenous antigen-processing for induction of MHC class I-restricted T cell responses”
2003 VIDI-Laureate Dutch Organization for Scientific Research: “T cell-mediated immune regulation in rheumatoid arthritis”
2008 VICI-Laureate Dutch Organization for Scientific Research: “Rheumatoid Arthritis and the Human Leukocyte Antigens: How do they connect?
Professor Experimental Rheumatology
- Faculteit Geneeskunde
- Divisie 2
- Reumatologie
- Lid wetenschappelijk adviesraad
- Member of the Immunology Scientific Reflection Panel
- Member Senior fellowship selection panel
- Voorzitter Wetenschappelijke raad
- Lid commissie ZonMW open competitie
- Bestuurslid