Robin van den Biggelaar
Postdoc/ Guest
- Name
- Dr. R.H.G.A. van den Biggelaar
- Telephone
- +31 71 527 2727
- r.h.g.a.van.den.biggelaar@biology.leidenuniv.nl
- ORCID iD
- 0000-0001-6247-9705
I am working as a postdoc at the department of Animal Sciences at Leiden University and the department of Infectious Diseases at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). My research focuses on the identification of host-directed therapies against bacterial infections, including Salmonella typhimurium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and MRSA.
Research
The increasing antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria pose a major threat to our health. Worldwide, an estimated one million deaths per year can be attributed to the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance. One strategy to treat these “untreatable” bacterial infections is the development of host-directed therapeutics (HDTs). Unlike antibiotics that act directly on bacteria, HDTs act on our own cells to create an environment that favors bacterial elimination. HDTs offer several advantages. Most importantly, HDTs are effective against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Secondly, bacteria are less likely to become resistant since there is no direct selection pressure from the drugs. Thirdly, HDTs are potentially effective against latent bacterial infections in which bacteria are non-replicating or metabolically inactive. Finally, HDTs may synergize with classical antibiotics and together effectively kill both intracellular and extracellular bacteria.
My research focuses on the identification of drug candidates with HDT activity against several bacterial infections, including Salmonella typhimurium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Although these bacterial species are very different, all three are able to resist the immune system and even thrive by hijacking our own cells. In my research, I make use of in vitro models (including cell lines and primary macrophages) and zebrafish embryo infection models to study the effectiveness, safety and mechanism-of-action of HDTs.
Brief biography
I have studied Biomedical Sciences with the Infection and Immunity master program at Utrecht University Medical Center. During internships at Utrecht University and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, I became familiar with host-pathogen interactions by studying the binding of coronaviruses to sialic acids and the responses of mucosa-associated invariant T cells against bacteria, respectively. After my studies, I did my PhD at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht University. During my PhD I worked on the development of in vitro alternatives for animal models that are used to test vaccines for quality. Currently, I am working as a postdoc at the department of Animal Sciences at Leiden University and the department of Infectious Diseases at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). My research focuses on the identification of host-directed therapies against bacterial infections, including Salmonella typhimurium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and MRSA.
Postdoc/ Guest
- Science
- Instituut Biologie Leiden
- IBL Animal Sciences
- Klugt T. van der, Biggelaar R.H.G.A. van den & Saris A. (2025), Host and bacterial lipid metabolism during tuberculosis infections: possibilities to synergise host- and bacteria-directed therapies, Critical Reviews in Microbiology : .
- Biggelaar R.H.G.A.van den, Walburg K.V., Eeden S.J. F. van den, Doorn C.L.R.van, Meiler E., Ries A.S. de, Meijer A.H., Ottenhoff T.H.M. & Saris A. (2024), Identification of kinase modulators as host-directed therapeutics against intracellular methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology 14: 1367938.
- Biggelaar R.H.G.A. van den, Walburg K.V., Eeden S.J.F. van den, Doorn C.L.R. van, Meiler E., Ries A.S. de, Fusco M.C., Meijer A.H., Ottenhoff T.H.M. & Saris A. (2024), Identification of kinase inhibitors as potential host-directed therapies for intracellular bacteria, Scientific Reports 14: 17225.
- Verwoolde M.B., Biggelaar R.H.G.A. van den, Vries Reilingh G. de, Arts J.A.J., Baal J. van, Lammers A. & Jansen C.A. (2021), Innate immune training and metabolic reprogramming in primary monocytes of broiler and laying hens, Developmental and Comparative Immunology 114: 103811.
- Meijerink N., Biggelaar R.H.G.A. van den, Haarlem D.A. van, Stegeman J.A., Rutten V.P.M.G. & Jansen C.A. (2021), A detailed analysis of innate and adaptive immune responsiveness upon infection with Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis in young broiler chickens, Veterinary Research 52(1): 109.
- Biggelaar R.H.G.A. van den, Hoefnagel M.H., Vandebriel R.J., Sloots A., Hendriksen C.F., Eden W. van, Rutten V.P.M.G. & Jansen C.A. (2021), Overcoming scientific barriers in the transition from in vivo to non-animal batch testing of human and veterinary vaccines, Expert Review of Vaccines 20(10): 1221-1233.
- Biggelaar R.H.G.A. van den, Maas L. van der, Meiring H.D., Pennings J.L.A., Eden W. van, Rutten V.P.M.G. & Jansen C.A. (2021), Proteomic analysis of chicken bone marrow-derived dendritic cells in response to an inactivated IBV + NDV poultry vaccine, Scientific Reports 11(1): 12666.
- Verwoolde M.B., Biggelaar R.H.G.A. van den, Baal J. van, Jansen C.A. & Lammers A. (2020), Training of primary chicken monocytes results in enhanced pro-inflammatory responses, Veterinary Sciences 7(3): 115.
- Biggelaar R.H.G.A. van den, van Eden W., Rutten V.P.M.G. & Jansen C.A. (2020), Macrophage activation assays to evaluate the immunostimulatory capacity of Avibacterium paragallinarum in a multivalent poultry vaccine, Vaccines 8(4): 671.
- Peng L, Biggelaar R.H.G.A. van den, Jansen C.A., Haagsman H.P. & Veldhuizen E.J.A. (2020), A method to differentiate chicken monocytes into macrophages with proinflammatory properties, Immunobiology 225(6): 152004.
- Biggelaar R.H.G.A. van den, Arkesteijn G.J.A., Rutten V.P.M.G., Eden W. van & Jansen C.A. (2020), In vitro chicken bone marrow-derived dendritic cells comprise subsets at different states of maturation, Frontiers in Immunology 11: 141.
- Biggelaar R.H.G.A. van den, Eden W. van, Rutten V.P.M.G. & Jansen C.A. (2020), Nitric oxide production and Fc receptor-mediated phagocytosis as functional readouts of macrophage activity upon stimulation with inactivated poultry caccines in vitro, Vaccines 8(2): 332.
- Dias J., Boulouis C., Gorin J., Biggelaar R.H.G.A. van den, Lal K., Gibbs A., Loh L., Gulam M., Sia W., Bari S., Hwang W., Nixon D., Nguyen S., Betts M., Buggert M., Eller M., Broliden K., Tjernlund A., Sandberg J. & Leeansyah E. (2018), The CD4−CD8− MAIT cell subpopulation is a functionally distinct subset developmentally related to the main CD8+ MAIT cell pool, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115(49): E11513-E11522.