Hermelijn Smits Email & Phone Number

The Hague, Zh, Nl

Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands

I’m heading a group on host-commensal interaction and immune modulation, studying the natural power of commensals and how their communication with our immune system can make the difference between health and disease. Changes in lifestyle have dramatically changed our exposure to microbes and our interactions with animals and environment. This may explain the rise in inflammatory diseases, as seen in the past 50 years. My research includes the role of various commensals or evolutionary ‘old friends’, such as helminths, in which identification of immunomodulatory molecules and their mode of action stands central. I’m studying their mode-of-action in preclinical models, but now I want to push forward these concepts to application in humans and use this to prevent or treat immune-mediated disorders in the lung.

Parasitology

My main interest involves cellular regulatory mechanisms induced by microbial/parasitic exposure and the interplay in protection against inflammatory diseases, such as allergy and asthma. The research is conducted in both mouse models and in humans. The ultimate goal is to identify microbial/parasite-derived tolerogenic molecules that can be used for immunotherapy and for which I obtained a ZonMW-VIDI grant (2014), a consortium grant from the Lung Foundation Netherlands (2015) and an international consortium grant of the Lung Foundation Netherlands | Accelerate (2018).

Dept Of Parasitology

Major objective was the study of regulatory B cell biology, dissecting molecules or mechanisms driving their development. In addition, Breg cell activity in allergic asthmatic patients was studied to evaluating strategies using these cells for therapeutic application.In addition, the in vitro and in vivo modulation of dendritic cells by parasites was studied to get more insight in the mechanisms how Th2 responses are formed. This information is usefull to get more insight in the development and treatment of allergic diseases.

Dept Of Parasitology

In the group of Prof dr Maria Yazdanbakhsh and with help of a VENI grant I studied the causal relationship between helminth infections and protection against experimental allergic airway inflammation. I focused on the role of a novel regulatory subset, IL-10 producing regulatory B cells.

Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands

I worked as a post-doc in the group of Prof dr Bart Lambrecht to study how microbial priming of dendritic cells can influence their capacity to drive protective immune responses in an experimental allergic airway inflammation mouse model.

During my PhD in the group of Prof dr. Martien Kapsenberg, I worked on the plasticity of human allergen-specific Th2 cells, with a particular focus on the regulation of the IL-12receptor beta 2 chain.In addition, I studied the modulation of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells by gutflora bateria and evaluated their capacity to prime for regulatory T cells to evaluate their protective ability for allergic diseases such as allergic asthma.

Dept Of Pulmonology

In the groups of Prof dr Pieter Hiemstra and Prof dr. Peter Sterk, I contributed on 2 clinican studies to the effect rhinovirus infections on the development of asthmatic reactions (PhD project of Dr K. Grunberg) and to the etiology of steroid-resistent asthma (PhD project of Dr H. in 't Veen).

Masters, Medical Biology

Bachelors, Biochemistry

Gymnasium