Katja Wolthers

Picornaviruses and 3D tissue culture models

OrganoVir Labs is a center of expertise on virus culture and human 2D and 3D ‘organoid cultures’ for virology. Our focus is on culturing picornaviruses, CMV, and recently Sars-CoV2.

As an organoid is a miniature and simplified version of a human organ, organoid models are an excellent way to study viral infections in human tissue. OrganoVir Labs uses airway epithelium cultures, intestinal epithelium cultures, gut organoids and brain organoids as human infection models. Work from the OrganoVir labs showed that data obtained with organoid models translate well to human disease. Infection of organoid cultures gave a far more accurate image of what  factors are essential for a virus infection in humans than infection in cell lines. At the OrganoVir labs, we aim at continuously improving organoid models for virology research,  and at promoting virus culture and organoid technology by sharing knowledge and means. OrganoVir Labs is co-headed by the Dept of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. We value our intensive inter-departmental way of working and together we developed fruitful industry-academic partnerships. By crossing boarders with the fields of immunology, organoid technology and tissue engineering, we discover new ways to bring virology into a future with less animal research and more accurate human models.  

Research team

Head of the team

Katja Wolthers, MD PhD

Katja Wolthers is a senior clinical virologist consultant and PI 'Molecular Epidemiology and Pathogenesis of Human Picornaviruses' within the Amsterdam Institute of Infection and Immunity (AIII). She is coordinator of the H2020-ITN-2018: Organoid for Virus research (OrganoVIR),  of H2020-NMBP-TR-IND-2020 GUTVibrations, and member of the Dutch network Transition animal-free innovations (TPI). She is an expert on clinical virology and picornaviruses, in particular on diseases caused by human entero- and parechoviruses, with specific expertise in human 3D cell culture models as disease models for virology.

Team members
  • Ikrame Aknouch, PhD student employed by Viroclinics. EV-A71 and Sars-CoV2 in gut organoids
  • Carlemi Calitz, postdoc researcher. Building a complex gut model with STACKS
  • Pamela Capendale, PhD student. Role of BBB in viral brain infections: HIV and picornaviruses
  • Karen Coudere, AIOS Medical Microbiology St Elizabeth Hospital Tilburg and PhD student. Sero-epidemiology of enteroviruses
  • Josse Depla, PhD student employed by UniQure. Brain organoids for picornavirus infection and gene therapy with AAV
  • Hetty van Eijk, Technician Virus Culture Lab (SVT)
  • Eline Freeze, research technician. Building a complex gut model with STACKS
  • Ines Garcia, PhD student. PeV-3 pathogenesis: entry in gut and brain
  • Nina Johannesson, research technician. Gut co-culture with immune cells
  • Gerrit Koen, Technician Virus Culture Lab (SVT)
  • Rosalie Linssen, PhD student. Neutrophil extracellular traps in RSV pathogenesis
  • Giulia Moreni, PhD student. EV-C epidemiology and tropism in gut and airway
  • Lance Mulder, PhD student. Congenital CMV infection: effects on brain
  • Dasja Pajkrt, MD PhD, Paediatric Infectious Disease Specialist, Principal Investigator (PI) of the Department of Pediatric Infectious diseases. Co-head OrganoVir Labs. Adithya Sridhar, PhD.  Senior scientist bio-engineering?. Projects: Role of DCs in EV-71 infection; EV-D68 receptor dependency in airway and brain; Development of gut-mesenchym model in STACKs hier content
  • Angelica Reitsma. Project Manager
  • Renata Viera Sa, postdoc researcher. Building a complex brain-BBB model with STACKS
Publications News
On April 1st 2021, The GUTVibrations Network (H2020-NMBP-TR-IND-2020) celebrated its start with a Prepare meeting. (link www.gutvibrations.org).
Links

Links to other websites:

  1. Organovir website: https://organovir.com/
  2. Gutvibrations website:https://www.gutvibrations.org/
  3. Katja Wolthers on TV: https://tpi.tv/watch/63
Contact