M.C.W. (Mariet) Feltkamp, MD PhD

I combine diagnostic and consultative activities in virology with research on transplantation-related infections. My focus is on persistent infections caused by DNA viruses, such as papillomaviruses (HPV), polyomaviruses (HPyV) and anelloviruses (TTV). I study their prevalence, diversity and pathogenicity, to understand why they create problems and identify strategies to prevent those. Moreover, I study if serological and molecular markers of these infections can be employed in the clinic, to prevent and overcome complications of (suboptimal) immunosuppression, such as transplant rejection and susceptibility for infection.

Since 2023 I also have an appointment at Sanquin, Amsterdam. Furthermore, I am executive board member of the European Society for Clinical Virology (ESCV) and member of Netherlands Commission on Genetic Modification (COGEM).

At the moment, in close collaboration with clinical partners, I am involved in two large EU Horizon-funded studies that investigate the value of TTV-load measurements in managing immunosuppressive treatment and drug dosing, in rheumatoid arthritis patients (SQUEEZE) and in kidney transplant recipients (TTV-GUIDE RCT). Previously, I received funding from NWO, ZonMW, Kidney Foundation and KWF. In 2018, we received the Novartis Transplantation Award for the use of polyomavirus serology to predict BKV nephropathy.