Profile photo Marco Boks

Marco Boks

Associate Professor - medical

Strategic program(s):

Biography

Genetic, epigenetic and epidemiological studies of Gene- Environment interplay

The main theme of my research is how our genetic background shapes the influence of the environmental risk for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. 

 The idea that psychiatric disorders develop as a result of the interaction between genes and environment is generally supported. However methodological challenges of such studies have limited large scale genome wide efforts. Therefore studies that focus on the interaction between environmental risk and genetic background remain timely and necessary.

 However such genetic studies do not take into account  a more subtle but highly relevant molecular mechanisms of interactions between environment and genes that recently is identified as a key mechanism of adaptation. These mechanisms, referred to as epigenetics, are extensive and complex and to date not fully understood. Central to our understanding is that epigenetic mechanisms influences transcription of DNA by modifying access to the DNA sequences. What makes this line of research extra interesting is the potential for pharmaceutical manipulation.

To focus these studies we have chosen cannabis and trauma as a main environmental exposure. 

Specialties: Psychiatry, epigenetics, genetics, bio-informatics

 

Strategic program(s):

Contact

Recent publications

PTSD and epigenetic aging Xiang Zhao, Seyma Katrinli, Beth M McCormick, Mark W Miller, Nicole R Nugent, Agaz H Wani, Anthony S Zannas, Allison E Aiello, Dewleen G Baker, Marco P Boks, Chia-Yen Chen, Catherine B Fortier, Joel Gelernter, Elbert Geuze, Karestan C Koenen, Sarah D Linnstaedt, Jurjen J Luykx, Adam X Maihofer, Samuel A McLean, William P Milberg, Andrew Ratanatharathorn, Kerry J Ressler, Victoria B Risbrough, Bart P F Rutten, Jordan W Smoller, Murray B Stein, Robert J Ursano, Eric Vermetten, Christiaan H Vinkers, Erin B Ware, Derek E Wildman, Ying Zhao, Mark W Logue, Caroline M Nievergelt, Alicia K Smith, Monica Uddin, Erika J Wolf,
Psychological medicine, 2025, vol. 55
Accurate DNA Methylation Predictor for C9orf72 Repeat Expansion Alleles in the Pathogenic Range. Naren Ramesh, Alexandria Evans, Kevin Wojta, Zhongan Yang, Marco Mp Boks, René S Kahn, Sterre C M de Boer, Sven J van der Lee, Yolande A L Pijnenburg, Lianne M Reus, Roel A Ophoff
2025
Generalizability of findings from four clinical cohort studies and a general population study to patients with bipolar I disorder in outpatient treatment in the Netherlands Joannes W. Renes, Ralph W. Kupka, Willem A. Nolen, Margreet ten Have, Afra van der Markt, Marco P.M. Boks, Eline J. Regeer
International journal of bipolar disorders, 2025, vol. 13
Genomics yields biological and phenotypic insights into bipolar disorder Kevin S O'Connell, Maria Koromina, Tracey van der Veen, Toni Boltz, Friederike S David, Jessica Mei Kay Yang, Keng-Han Lin, Xin Wang, Jonathan R I Coleman, Brittany L Mitchell, Caroline C McGrouther, Aaditya V Rangan, Penelope A Lind, Elise Koch, Arvid Harder, Nadine Parker, Jaroslav Bendl, Kristina Adorjan, Esben Agerbo, Diego Albani, Silvia Alemany, Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, Thomas D Als, Till F M Andlauer, Anastasia Antoniou, Helga Ask, Nicholas Bass, Michael Bauer, Eva C Beins, Tim B Bigdeli, Carsten Bøcker Pedersen, Marco P Boks, Sigrid Børte, Rosa Bosch, Murielle Brum, Ben M Brumpton, Nathalie Brunkhorst-Kanaan, Monika Budde, Jonas Bybjerg-Grauholm, William Byerley, Judit Cabana-Domínguez, Murray J Cairns, Bernardo Carpiniello, Miquel Casas, Pablo Cervantes, Chris Chatzinakos, Annabel Vreeker, René S Kahn, Jurjen J Luykx, Roel A Ophoff,
Nature, 2025, vol. 639, p.968–975
Identifying genetic differences between bipolar disorder and major depression through multiple genome-wide association analyses Georgia Panagiotaropoulou, Kajsa-Lotta Georgii Hellberg, Jonathan R I Coleman, Darsol Seok, Janos Kalman, Philip B Mitchell, Peter R Schofield, Andreas J Forstner, Michael Bauer, Laura J Scott, Carlos N Pato, Michele T Pato, Qingqin S Li, George Kirov, Mikael Landén, Lina Jonsson, Bertram Müller-Myhsok, Jordan W Smoller, Elisabeth B Binder, Tanja M Brückl, Darina Czamara, Sandra Van der Auwera, Hans J Grabe, Georg Homuth, Carsten O Schmidt, James B Potash, J Raymond DePaulo, Fernando S Goes, Dean F MacKinnon, Francis M Mondimore, Myrna M Weissman, Jianxin Shi, Mark A Frye, Joanna M Biernacka, Andreas Reif, Stephanie H Witt, René R Kahn, Marco M Boks, Michael J Owen, Katherine Gordon-Smith, Brittany L Mitchell, Nicholas G Martin, Sarah E Medland, Lisa Jones, James A Knowles, Douglas F Levinson, Michael C O'Donovan, Cathryn M Lewis, Gerome Breen, Roel A Ophoff,
The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science, 2025, vol. 226, p.79-90
Epigenome-wide association studies identify novel DNA methylation sites associated with PTSD Seyma Katrinli, Agaz H. Wani, Adam X. Maihofer, Andrew Ratanatharathorn, Nikolaos P. Daskalakis, Janitza Montalvo-Ortiz, Diana L. Núñez-Ríos, Anthony S. Zannas, Xiang Zhao, Allison E. Aiello, Allison E. Ashley-Koch, Diana Avetyan, Dewleen G. Baker, Jean C. Beckham, Marco P. Boks, Leslie A. Brick, Evelyn Bromet, Frances A. Champagne, Chia Yen Chen, Shareefa Dalvie, Michelle F. Dennis, Segun Fatumo, Catherine Fortier, Sandro Galea, Melanie E. Garrett, Elbert Geuze, Gerald Grant, Michael A. Hauser, Jasmeet P. Hayes, Sian M.J. Hemmings, Bertrand Russel Huber, Aarti Jajoo, Stefan Jansen, Ronald C. Kessler, Nathan A. Kimbrel, Anthony P. King, Joel E. Kleinman, Nastassja Koen, Karestan C. Koenen, Pei Fen Kuan, Israel Liberzon, Sarah D. Linnstaedt, Adriana Lori, Benjamin J. Luft, Jurjen J. Luykx, Christine E. Marx, Bart P.F. Rutten, Murray B. Stein, Eric Vermetten, Christiaan H. Vinkers, , ,
Genome Medicine, 2024, vol. 16

Fellowships & Awards

1:  NARSAD Young Investigator Award 2010
2: Semel Institute of Neuroscience, 2009 Phenomics Travel Award