profile: dr. k.w. van dijk
Dr. Ko Willems van Dijk is since 2001 associate professor in the departments of General Internal Medicine (Profs. L.M. Havekes and J.A. Romijn) and Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, stationed at the department of Human Genetics (Prof.dr. R.R. Frants). He studied Molecular Sciences at the Wageningen University (MSC 1981-1988) and performed a PhD thesis at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA (1988-1992). The research was performed at the Virginia Mason Research Center under direction of Dr. E.C.B. Milner on the “Chromosomal organization of the human VH locus and mapping of VH gene segments comprising the developmentally expressed repertoire”. He moved back to department of Human Genetics at the University of Leiden for first a two-year (1992-1994) postdoctoral fellowship, working on the role of specific genes in lipoprotein metabolism and atherosclerosis. This was followed by a four-year period of research in a large collaborative program funded by the Dutch Heart Foundation (Molecular Cardiology program 93.001, 3 postdocs, 3 technicians) entitled: Modulation of gene expression as therapy for atherosclerosis. He then became a Research associate at the department of Human Genetics at the Leiden University Medical Center (Prof.dr. R.R. Frants). Principal project: Development of new strategies for gene therapy in hyperlipidemia and atheresclerosis. This research is a continuation of the Molecular Cardiology Program funded by the LUMC (“stimuleringsfonds”) and is performed in a long-standing and close collaboration with TNO-PG Gaubius laboratory (Prof.dr.ir. L.M. Havekes).
memberships/awards
- European Lipoprotein Club Meeting Committee member (organizes yearly meeting).
- Faculty of NUGO PhD course
publications
17 Publications in peer-reviewed journals
2003-2006