Profile photo Marianne Boes

Marianne Boes

Associate Professor

Strategic program(s):

Biography

Marianne Boes heads the pediatric immunology laboratory at the UMC Utrecht, embedded in the Center for Translational Immunology. Her team focuses on approaches for harnessing the strength of the immune response and its promise to redirection using immune response modification, as preventive or therapeutic medicine. Boes trained in the USA in immunology and cell biology research (1996-2008). She performed PhD research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), at the Koch Institute for integrative Cancer Research under supervision of prof. Jianzhu Chen. Here she studied immunodeficiency mechanisms using mouse models. Postdoctoral work she performed at Harvard Medical School in the laboratory of prof. Hidde Ploegh.

In 2004, Dr. Boes started her independent research lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, financed in part by an NWO-Veni grant in 2004 and a large NIH-RO1 grant that was awarded to her.  She is the founding chair of the Young Academy of the UMC Utrecht (chair Sept 2019-Jan 2022) and board member of the CUCo working group of the Young Academies of the Strategic Alliance between TU-Eindhoven, Wageningen, Utrecht University and UMC-Utrecht, 2019-2022. Boes serves as coordinator of the course 'Advanced Immunology' and van Kinsbergen Advanced+ Immunology for PhD students. She is current member of the I&I graduate school teaching committee and the Board of Examiners, subcommittee Assessment Support Panel (ASP) @ GSLS-life Sciences Academy. She thoroughly enjoys to meet and learn from researchers, patients and societal partners in different fields. 

Research groups

Pediatric immunology team

Research aim

The pediatric immunology team focuses on the under-explored research field of immune response modification for the prevention of immune-driven diseases. The goal of our research is to develop interventions that can prevent disease manifestations.

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Primary immunodeficiency

Research aim

To address unmet medical needs by detecting novel primary immunodeficiency, and improving clinical practice by optimizing diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of disease.

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Recent publications

LDL receptor-mediated lipoprotein uptake fuels human CD4+ T cell polarization toward a c-MAF/IL-10- and FOXP3-driven phenotype Angela Markovska, Niels S van Heusden, Dagmar Duijzer, Alejandra Bodelón, Greta Rogani, Enric Mocholi, Edwin Ca Stigter, Can Gulersonmez, Sander Kooijman, Leonie Van der Zee, Monique T Mulder, Jeanine E Roeters van Lennep, Patrick Cn Rensen, Jorg van Loosdregt, Sebastiaan J Vastert, Noam Zelcer, Marianne Boes, Henk S Schipper
JCI Insight, 2026, vol. 11, p.1-22
Pyrin Inflammasome Activation Triggers an IL-18-Driven IFNγ Response in Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency Niels S van Heusden, Isa Cuijpers, Nils Meijer, Daan Pieren, Angela Markovska, Cem Gabay, Charlotte Girard, Isabelle Koné-Paut, Bas Vastert, Dörte Hamann, Judith Jans, Erika Van Nieuwenhove, Joost Frenkel, Marianne Boes
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2026, vol. 158, p.253-268
Systemic lupus erythematosus extends beyond a type I interferonopathy, as demonstrated by NET-activated monocytes Xiaolin Cao, Niels van Heusden, Daan K J Pieren, Bettina C Geertsema-Hoeve, Ellen D Kaan, Patrick F Greve, Maarten Limper, Marianne Boes
Clinical and Translational Medicine [E], 2026, vol. 16
Effector-host interactome map links type III secretion systems in healthy gut microbiomes to immune modulation Veronika Young, Bushra Dohai, Hridi Halder, Jaime Fernandez-Macgregor, Niels S van Heusden, Thomas C A Hitch, Benjamin Weller, Patrick Hyden, Deeya Saha, Daan K J Pieren, Sonja Rittchen, Luke Lambourne, Sibusiso B Maseko, Chung-Wen Lin, Ye Min Tun, Jonas Bibus, Luisa Pletschacher, Mégane Boujeant, Sébastien A Choteau, Lou Bergogne, Jérémie Perrin, Franziska Ober, Patrick Schwehn, Simin T Rothballer, Melina Altmann, Stefan Altmann, Alexandra Strobel, Michael Rothballer, Marie Tofaute, Daniel Kotlarz, Matthias Heinig, Thomas Clavel, Michael A Calderwood, Marc Vidal, Jean-Claude Twizere, Renaud Vincentelli, Daniel Krappmann, Marianne Boes, Claudia Falter, Thomas Rattei, Christine Brun, Andreas Zanzoni, Pascal Falter-Braun
Nature Microbiology, 2026, vol. 11, p.442-460
Microbiota modulate immune cell populations and drive dynamic structural changes in gut-associated lymphoid tissue Pačes Jan, Malinská Nikola, Tušková Liliana, Knížková Karolina, Grobárová Valéria, Zadražil Zdeněk, Hudcovic Tomáš, Michl Anna, Šrůtková Dagmar, Schwarzer Martin, Boes Marianne, Černý Jan
Gut Microbes, 2025, vol. 17
Comparing DC subsets in solid tumors Casper J Pachocki, Marianne Boes, Alsya J Affandi
Immunotherapy advances, 2025, vol. 5

Fellowships & Awards

 

2025: Asthma Foundation 35K euro

Jan 2024 - Dec 2028: Horizon-HLTH CLARITY: 7 million euro/5 years (coordinator of consortium and PI)

2021-2023: EWUU-Unusual Collaboration grant; ±160K euro/yr (co-PI)

2022: PhD incentive Radboud University / UMC Utrecht, 270 KEuro (PI)

2021: Actuate grant 200K dollar (PI)

2019: Lymph&co 385K (PI)

2018: Nutricia 47.5K (co-PI)

2015: UU Life Sciences Seed grant 100K (co-PI)

2014: NWO-PhD grant 250K (I&I graduate school UU)

2014: Diabetes Fonds Nederland 250K (co-PI)

2010: ERC-Marie Curie 80K (PI)

2007: NIH-RO1 grant 750K (PI)

2004: NWO-Veni 250K (PI)

2001: Cancer Research Institute/ Irvington fellowship 300K (PI)

1997: Boehringer Ingelheim PhD fellowship 250K (PI)