Theo van den Broek

Theo van den Broek is trained as a medical specialist (medical microbiology) and immunologist (Center for Translational Immunology), and is a translational researcher at heart. He obtained his PhD on the dynamics of T cell reconsitution following lymphopenia at the Utrecht University in 2015. During his clinical training he obtained a Marie Curie Global Fellowship for a postdoc in the lab of Prof. M.C. Carroll (Boston Children's Hospital & Harvard Medical School) in Boston (USA) to investigate the dynamics of loss of B cell tolerance in autoimmunity. Following his clinical training he combined his research with clinical microbiology. In 2023 he was awarded a VENI personal fellowship to investigate the interaction between T and B cells in the pediatric immune system.

Since 2023, he leads his own research group at the Center for Translational Immunology (CTI). Van den Broek’s team investigates the intricate interactions between T and B cells, focusing on their implications for disease, protective immunity, and immune reconstitution. Using both patient-derived material and experimental models such as tonsil organoids, the group aims to dissect cellular crosstalk, characterize the behavior and function of tissue-resident immune cells, and identify pathways that can be targeted for therapeutic intervention.

In the last years he has been actively involved in the support of career development and training of early career researchers (ECRs). He is chair of the young Dutch Society of Immunology (youngNVVI) and boardmember of the UMC Utrecht young academy. He coordinates the European Study Group ‘Lymphoid Structures, Orchestrators of Immunity’ (EFIS), which advances research on lymphoid structures, fosters collaborations, and supports young researchers through networking, internships, and mentoring. He co-founded an international open-access scientific journal (Journal of Life Sciences, JoLS) and an associated postdoc community with the goal of training ECRs in peer-review. This latter initiative received (inter)national attention and resulted in his appointment as the alumnus of the month at Utrecht University.