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Prof Gestur (G.) Vidarsson PhD

Training

Molecular biology and Immunology

Thesis

Immunity to encapsulated bacteria
Supervisors: Prof Jan GJ van de Winkel PhD, Ingileif Jónsdóttir PhD
June 2000

Research interests

Immunoglobulin biology: from vaccine responses to phagocytosis. Immunoglobulins play a central role in immunity to infectious agents, and the pathogenesis in both autoimmunity and immunity to allo-antigens in transfusion medicine. These versatile molecules can also be applied as therapeutic agents in all these pathophysiological reactions. Current focus is on the role of the neonatal IgG Fc Receptor on endothelial-, epithelial-, transfectants, and immune cells, and to study the working mechanisms of immunoglobulins to Rhesus D in anti-D immunoprophylaxis, in particular with regard to Fc receptors on responses to RhD in alloimmunization.

Technology

  • Various phagocytosis and respiratory burst assays
  • Bactericidal and bacterial killing assays
  • Various techniques regarding vaccination protocols/formulation and analyses of immune responses
  • Diverse aspects of transgenesis
  • Antibody engineering
  • Recombinant antibody production and molecular modelling

Resume

2022-Present Professor of Immunoglobulin Biotherapeutics at Utrecht University, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht
2006-Present Senior researcher at Dept of Experimental Immunohematology, Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam
2005-2006 Post-doctoral fellow at Dept of Experimental Immunohematology, Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam
2000-2005 Post-doctoral fellow at the 'Eijkman Graduate School for Immunology and Infections Diseases' (University Medical Center Utrecht, UMCU and the Vaccine Research Laboratory at the Netherlands Vaccine Institute, Bilthoven, the Netherlands)
1996-2000 PhD student at Dept of Immunology, University Medical Centre Utrecht
1994-1996 Postgraduate work in Dept of Immunology, National University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland
1991-1994 Graduate work Masters Degree (M.Sc.) in Immunology, University of Iceland, the Faculty of Medicine, National University Hospital, Dept of Immunology: Immunity to pneumococci and the effect of vaccinations.
1988-1991 BSc degree in Molecular Biology, University of Iceland, the Faculty of Science