Dr. Jonas Kuiper

Jonas Kuiper, PhD is an Assistant Professor and leads the Ophthalmo-Immunology group that is embedded in the Laboratory of Translational Immunology (UMCU). After receiving his PhD (2014) he continued his research on defining the underlying mechanisms of ocular inflammation, and in particular Birdshot Uveitis. His research revealed that Birdshot is an autoimmune disease, characterized by eye-aggressive T cells and IL-17 signature cytokines and he performed the first genome-wide analysis of Birdshot that resulted in the identification of the ERAP2 gene as a strong major risk factor for Birdshot. His current research exploits systems medicine to map the molecular pathways underpinning Uveitis in ERAP-linked diseases – and coordinates the   UGRASP project (casym.eu). He was rewarded the Bayer Ophthalmology Research Award in 2015 and several grants to continue research on ERAPs in Birdshot and other forms of chronic inflammatory diseases.