prof. dr. C.A.H.H. (Toos) Daemen

Toos Daemen studied Medical Biology at the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands, were she specialized in Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology for her Master Degree in Mathematics and Natural Sciences (1983). In 1987 she obtained her PhD degree (Magna Cum Laude) at the University of Groningen from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences on the subject of “Immunotherapy of liver metastases with liposome-encapsulated muramyl peptides”. From 1987 onward she worked as a post-doctoral fellow and assistant professor in the department of Physiological Chemistry of the University of Groningen. In 1999 she was appointed assistant professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology, Molecular Virology and appointed associate professor at the same department in 2001. In 2008 she was appointed full professor of Tumor Virology in the dep. of Medical Microbiology at the Medical Faculty of the UMCG.

Toos Daemen has extensive expertise in the area of the activation of the innate and adaptive immune system for the immunotherapy of cancer. After joining the Molecular Virology section she focussed on immunotherapeutic strategies against virus-induced tumors, such as HPV- and HCV-induced cancers in particular. Several approaches are being pursued including genetic immunization with recombinant suicide viral vectors based on Semliki Forest virus and protein/virosome-based immunization strategies.

In 2009 she, together with three other UMCG scientists, started a spin-off company from the department of Molecular Virology and the department of Gynaecologic Oncology of the UMCG, ViciniVax BV. ViciniVax is set up to develop and evaluate immunotherapeutic immunization strategies based on alphavirus vector systems.