Prof. D. van de Beek MD PhD

Prof. MD PhD D. van de Beek

Position

Full Professor

Main activities

Patient care, Research, Other

Specialisation

Neurological infection and inflammatory diseases

Focus of research

The Department of Neurology performs clinical and translational research within three research themes: infection & inflammation, cerebrovasculair disorders, and movement disorders. The themes are imbedded in the nine translational research programs of Amsterdam Neuroscience, the research institute of neuroscience investigators in the Amsterdam area. All staff members of the Department of Neurology are involved in research and collaborate within Neuroscience Amsterdam, with other academic and non-academic hospitals, and with international research groups.

We perform clinical translational research in the field of neurological infections & inflammation. We perform prospective clinical cohort studies, randomized clinical trials, and experimental research, combining our clinical expertise with groundbreaking, translational approaches using clinical data, human samples, next generation sequencing, in vitro techniques, and mouse models in the erea's of bacterial meningitis & encephalitis, infections after stroke, septic encephalopathy, and inflammatory diseases of peripheral nerves and muscles.

Amsterdam UMC Research Institutes

AMC departments

Neurology

Key publications

Lees John A., Ferwerda Bart, Kremer Philip H. C., Wheeler Nicole E., Serón Mercedes Valls, Croucher Nicholas J., Gladstone Rebecca A., Bootsma Hester J., Rots Nynke Y., Wijmega-Monsuur Alienke J., Sanders Elisabeth A. M., Trzciński Krzysztof, Wyllie Anne L., Zwinderman Aeilko H., van den Berg Leonard H., van Rheenen Wouter, Veldink Jan H., Harboe Zitta B., Lundbo Lene F., de Groot Lisette C. P. G. M., van Schoor Natasja M., van der Velde Nathalie, Ängquist Lars H., Sørensen Thorkild I. A., Nohr Ellen A., Mentzer Alexander J., Mills Tara C., Knight Julian C., du Plessis Mignon, Nzenze Susan, Weiser Jeffrey N., Parkhill Julian, Madhi Shabir, Benfield Thomas, von Gottberg Anne, van der Ende Arie, Brouwer Matthijs C., Barrett Jeffrey C., Bentley Stephen D., van de Beek Diederik Joint sequencing of human and pathogen genomes reveals the genetics of pneumococcal meningitis Nature communications 2019;10 (1) [PubMed]
Bijlsma Merijn W., Brouwer Matthijs C., Kasanmoentalib E. Soemirien, Kloek Anne T., Lucas Marjolein J., Tanck Michael W., van der Ende Arie, van de Beek Diederik Community-acquired bacterial meningitis in adults in the Netherlands, 2006-14: a prospective cohort study Lancet infectious diseases 2016;16 (3):339-347 [PubMed]
Westendorp Willeke F., Vermeij Jan-Dirk, Zock Elles, Hooijenga Imke J., Kruyt Nyika D., Bosboom Hans J. L. W., Kwa Vincent I. H., Weisfelt Martijn, Remmers Michel J. M., ten Houten Robert, Schreuder A. H. C. M. Tobien, Vermeer Sarah E., van Dijk Ewout J., Dippel Diederik W. J., Dijkgraaf Marcel G. W., Spanjaard Lodewijk, Vermeulen Marinus, van der Poll Tom, Prins Jan M., Vermeij Frederique H., Roos Yvo B. W. E. M., Kleyweg Ruud P., Kerkhoff Henk, Brouwer Matthijs C., Zwinderman Aeilko H., van de Beek Diederik, Nederkoorn Paul J., Vermeij J.-D., Kerkhoff H., Bosboom J. L. W., Kwa V. I. H., Weisfelt M., Remmers M. J. M., van Dijk E. J., Vermeij F., Schreuder A., Vermeer S. E., ten Houten R., Dippel D. W. J., Kappelle L. J., van der Worp H. B., Merkies I. S. J., de Bruijn S. F. T. M., de Laat K. F., Haag Den, Jellema K., Keizer K., de Rijk M. C., Vermeij A. J., de Gans K. The Preventive Antibiotics in Stroke Study (PASS): a pragmatic randomised open-label masked endpoint clinical trial Lancet 2015;385 (9977):1519-1526 [PubMed]
Brouwer Matthijs C., Tunkel Allan R., McKhann Guy M., van de Beek Diederik Brain Abscess New England journal of medicine 2014;371 (5):447-456 [PubMed]
van de Beek Diederik, Brouwer Matthijs C., Thwaites Guy E., Tunkel Allan R. Advances in treatment of bacterial meningitis Lancet 2012;380 (9854):1693-1702 [PubMed]

All Publications

Curriculum Vitae

2012- Professor of neurology
2007- Neurologist, Group leader neurological infection and inflammation, Department of Neurology, Center for Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam
2006-2007Neurologist, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA
2000-2006 Board Certification Neurology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam
1998-2004 Doctorate (Ph.D.), “Bacterial meningitis in adults”, University of Amsterdam
1992-1999 Medical Degree (M.D.)  Faculty of Medicine, University of Amsterdam

Research programmes

Prof. MD PhD D. van de Beek (Neuroinfection and Inflammation)

Bacterial meningitis. In 2002, we completed a study on the life-saving effect of adjunctive dexamethasone therapy in bacterial meningitis. Subsequently, we identified defining factors in the prognosis of this devastating disease in the largest cohort study to date. We translated research results to clinical practice in papers on the management of meningitis. MeninGene is a nationwide project on genetic traits that may support the susceptibility to severe forms of bacterial meningitis.

Encephalitis. Recently, we completed the PACEM study. In this prospective cohort study we aim to systematically determine the causes of meningitis and encephalitis in children and adults with suspected bacterial meningitis, and describe clinical and laboratory findings in these patients.

Neurosarcoidosis. Neurosarcoidosis a condition of unknown cause featuring granulomas in various tissues, involving the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). In a prospective cohort study we evaluate clinical characteristics, genetic background, treatment and outcome of this disease.

Infections after stroke. Stroke is a leading cause of death worldwide. Fever after stroke is a strong predictor of a poor outcome. Infections occur in up to 40% of patients with stroke and have also been associated with poor outcomes. In 2015, results were published of the Preventive Antibiotics in Stroke Study (PASS) on preventive use of the antibiotic ceftriaxone iin patients with acute stroke. Currently, we are particpating in the PRECIOUS project.

Septic encephalopathy. Experimental findings and neuropathological observations suggest that activation of microglia is pivotal for mediation of the behavioural effects of systemic infections. The microglial response is usually regulated tightly, but defensive features could turn neurotoxic once microglial cells escape from cholinergic inhibition. In a prospective autopsy study and animals models we evaluate the role of microglial activation in sepsis associated encephalopathy.

Inflammatory diseases of peripheral nerves and muscles. The immune mediated neuropathies (e.g. GBS, CIDP, MMN) and myopathies (e.g. dermatomysositis, IBM) and critical illness neuropathy and myopathy are the specific diseases of interest. Clinical trials, cohort studies and studies investigating immunological and genomic characterization of nerve and muscle inflammation are performed. From these studies we try to arrive at clinically relevant biomarkers of disease activity and predictors of response.

Faculty
MD PhD M.C. Brouwer
Prof. PhD M. de Visser
MD PhD F. Eftimov
MD PhD A.J. van der Kooi
Prof. PhD I.N. van Schaik
MD PhD C. Verhamme