Kyra van der Pan

RESEARCH

Cells of the monocyte/macrophage system play a key function in maintenance of homeostasis by monitoring micro-environmental changes and tissue clean-up. This capacity to sense homeostatic disturbances and the ability to act upon changes, make monocytes and macrophages relevant targets for immune monitoring in the context of patient care. However, the clinical usefulness of evaluating these cells at a systemic level is still limited due to lack of knowledge about the monocyte/macrophage maturation pathway and the relationship between all monocytic, macrophage and dendritic cell subsets across tissues.

Therefore, as part of the TiMaScan project, we study the relationship between monocytic, macrophage and dendritic cell populations with the aim to apply this knowledge to develop new tools for patient care. To achieve this, we employ integrated multi-omics approaches, including proteomics, single cell RNA-seq, flow cytometry and mass cytometry across different body compartments.

CURRICULUM VITAE

I studied Biopharmaceutical Sciences at Leiden University, which I finished in 2016. In my internships I focused on antigen presenting cells: first in the context of atherosclerosis in the laboratory of Prof. dr. Johan Kuiper (div. BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR)), and later by studying dermal dendritic cell responses to malaria parasites in the group of Prof. dr. Maria Yazdanbakhsh (dept. of Parasitology, LUMC). In 2017, I started my PhD in the Immune Monitoring group headed by Prof. dr. Jacques J.M. van Dongen, on the dissection of the monocyte/macrophage maturation pathway.