H.D.F.H. Schallig PhD

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PhD H.D.F.H. Schallig

Position
Other Academic Staff
Main activities
Education, Research
Specialisation
Parasitology
Focus of research

The research focus of the Experimental Parasitology group (Department of Medical Microbiology) at the Academic Medical Centre led by Dr. Henk Schallig is on the development, evaluation and implementation of innovative diagnostic tools and strategies for parasitic diseases. Translating high-tech diagnostics towards more field applicable and near patient tools is a top priority of the group. We also study emerging drug resistance, perform drug efficacy studies and lead compound identification. The main diseases we presently focus on are malaria, leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis and cryptosporidiosis, but in principle we can cover all aspects of parasitology and parasites. Of particular attention is mother and child health (for example malaria in pregnancy). Currently we are expanding our research focus towards the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of undifferentiated fevers, which are emerging as a consequence of declining malaria prevalence. In this field we also work towards the containment of emerging drug resistance that is caused by over prescription of antibiotics and anti-malarials due to inappropriate diagnostic procedures.

The research activities are done in close collaboration with departments within the AMC (Clinical Parasitology, Tropical Medicine, Tropical Dermatology and the Global Child health Group) and in disease endemic countries, such as Burkina Faso, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, The Gambia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Ecuador and Suriname.

Next to this we are also heavily involved in capacity building activities in particular in resource limited countries in sub-Sahara Africa and Latin America. We are supervising PhD and MSc students from these counties, provide on the spot training in research technologies and methodology. We also ensure that the work is conducted to GC/LP standards.

Our main research lines are:

- Development, evaluation and implementation of novel diagnostics for parasitic diseases.
- Malaria in pregnancy: detection, treatment, and biomarkers.
- Clinical trials to improve treatment and diagnosis of parasitic diseases.
- Community centered approaches to improve (maternal) health.

- Drug efficacy and resistance studies and lead compound identification for new drugs
- Diagnostic development for fever syndromes to stop antimicrobial drug resistance

Key publications
  • Schallig Henk D. F. H., Hu Ricardo V. P., Kent Alida D., van Loenen Merlin, Menting Sandra, Picado Albert, Oosterling Zippora, Cruz Israel Evaluation of point of care tests for the diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Suriname BMC infectious diseases 2019;19 (1) [PubMed]
  • Bonko Massa Dit Achille, Kiemde Francois, Tahita Marc Christian, Lompo Palpouguini, Some Athanase M., Tinto Halidou, van Hensbroek Michael Boele, Mens Petra F., Schallig Henk D. F. H. The effect of malaria rapid diagnostic tests results on antimicrobial prescription practices of health care workers in Burkina Faso Annals of clinical microbiology and antimicrobials 2019;18 (1) [PubMed]
  • Adams Emily Rebecca, Schoone Gerard, Versteeg Inge, Gomez Maria Adelaida, Diro Ermias, Mori Yasuyoshi, Perlee Desiree, Downing Tim, Saravia Nancy, Assaye Ashenafi, Hailu Asrat, Albertini Audrey, Ndung'u Joseph Mathu, Schallig Henk Development and evaluation of a novel loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for diagnosis of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis Journal of clinical microbiology 2018;56 (7) [PubMed]
  • van den Bogaart Erika, Schoone Gerard J., Adams Emily R., Schallig Henk D. F. H. Duplex quantitative Reverse-Transcriptase PCR for simultaneous assessment of drug activity against Leishmania intracellular amastigotes and their host cells (vol 4, pg 14, 2014) INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-DRUGS AND DRUG RESISTANCE 2016;6 (2):140
  • de Vries Henry J. C., Reedijk Sophia H., Schallig Henk D. F. H. Cutaneous leishmaniasis: recent developments in diagnosis and management American journal of clinical dermatology 2015;16 (2):99-109 [PubMed]
All Publications
Curriculum Vitae

Profile

 

Dr. Henk Schallig (Senior Scientist at the Department of Medical Microbiology - Parasitology Unit of the Academic Medical Centre of the University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; h.d.schallig@amc.nl) is a trained parasitologist (received his PhD in Parasitology from the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) with ample knowledge of immunology and molecular biology.

He is accredited by the National Committee for Medical-Biological Research Training in the Netherlands (SMBWO) as Medical-Biological Scientific Researcher and Educator in “Parasitology” and Scientific Researcher “Medical Microbiology”. Furthermore, he passed the examination for “Basic Course Rules and Regulations for Clinical Research (GCP) at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam.

In the past, he worked on vaccine development against parasitic and bacterial infections. His current research is focused on development, evaluation and implementation of diagnostic tools and on drug efficacy and resistance studies, in particular in protozoan diseases like malaria, leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis and currently further expanding into cryptosporidiosis and helminths. The work is performed in close collaboration with renowned research institutes and hospitals in disease endemic countries, mainly in Africa, Suriname and south-east Asia.

Dr Schallig has extensive experience in managing multi-disciplinary and complex projects both in an academic as well as in an industrial setting. He has successfully secured funding to support his research and his team from different funding organisations such as the European Commission, World Health Organization, Netherlands Foundation for the Advancement of Tropical Research, the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND, Geneva, Switzerland), the European Developing Countries Clinical Trial Partnership (EDCTP), Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development, Industry and private funders. A full overview of the current research portfolio of the group and successfully secured funding is available.

Transfer of knowledge and capacity building are intrinsic to Dr. Schallig’s activities and he has built up extensive experience in training and conducting workshops. Numerous technicians, MSc and PhD students from the Netherlands as well as from developing countries have been trained by him and his group. He has over 160 publications in peer reviewed journals: H index: 42; 40 exluding self citation. 

 

Curriculum vitae

Personal details

Name: Henk Schallig

Telephone : +.31.20.5665454 (work)

E-mail: h.d.schallig@amc.nl

Skype: henk.schallig

Affiliation: Academic Medical Centre (AMC) Dep. Medical Microbiology Parasitology Unit (IA3-145) Meibergdreef 9 1105 AZ Amsterdam The Netherlands

 

Working Experience

Senior Scientist at the Academic Medical Centre, Department of Medical Microbiology – Parasitology Unit (1 May 2016 – Present).

Senior Scientist at the Royal Tropical Institute and Research coordinator Parasitology (1 March 2000 – 30 April 2016).

Head of the Bacteriology Section at the Biological Research & Development Department, Fort Dodge Animal Health, Weesp, The Netherlands (1 February 1998 – 1 March 2000).

Senior Scientist at the Institute of Infectious Diseases & Immunology, Department of Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University (1 August 1991 – 1 February 1998).

Junior Scientist at the Department of Experimental Zoology, Biology Faculty, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (1 September 1988 - 1 Augustus 1991).

 

Additional assets

Accredited by the National Committee for Medical-Biological Research Training in the Netherlands (SMBWO) as Medical-Biological Scientific Researcher in Parasitology (April 1998) and Medical Microbiology (February 2001). ) and as Supervisor for the SMBWO PhD programme “Parasitology” (2008).

GCLP training completed GCP certified (BROK course: 27 May 2014 with subsequent re-registrations)

License (article 9) to design and perform animal experiments (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, March 1997).

Editor/permanent reviewer for >10 peer reviewed international scientific journals

 

Education

PhD Research: Neuro-endocrine interactions between schistosome parasites and their intermediate hosts, freshwater snails, studied in the combination Trichobilharzia ocellata - Lymnaea stagnalis (September 1988 - August 1991, Biology Faculty, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands; graduation: 25 November 1991).

Scientific education: M.Sc at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Biology Faculty (June 1984 - August 1988); graduation August 1988; Main subject: Histology/Electron microscopy; Second subject: Molecular Neurobiology and Comparative Endocrinology; Third subject: Didactics of Biology. Qualification to teach Biology (First Degree).

Research programmes

Prof. MD PhD M.D. de Jong (Emerging Pathogens)

Current research funding
  • AML
  • College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University
  • EDCTP
  • EDCTP - Africa Office
  • ESCMID
  • GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA
  • Stichting Dioraphte
  • ZonMw