Excellence Awardee 2022


Dr. Bart Haagmans

 

Bart Haagmans is a virologist working at the Viroscience department, Erasmus Medical Center. His research line focusses on the pathogenesis of viral infections and especially those viruses that emerge through zoonotic transmission, as a basis for (future) interventions and medical countermeasures.

 

This brings together work performed earlier at the Veterinary faculty in Utrecht and more recent work on human viruses in Rotterdam. He brings a strong track record of fundamental and applied research of MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. In collaboration with international teams, the novel coronavirus was classified as SARS-CoV-2, diagnostic assays were developed and validated while animal and in vitro organoid models were set up to further understand pathogenesis and test (antibody based) intervention strategies.

 

Development of reagents, vaccines and protocols for molecular and serological detection of these emerging viral pathogens lead to options for interventions and medical countermeasures. Dr. Haagmans has more than 230 publications on different subjects in (clinical) virology, identification and characterization of novel emerging viruses and the development of vaccines.

 

He is an expert consultant of WHO, FAO and OIE on coronaviruses as well as a member of the the Coronaviridae Study Group of the ICTV. He is PI on several Dutch and EU grants and is co-coordinating the IMI ZAPI project, focused on zoonotic anticipation and preparedness initiatives, and amongst others led to discovery of broadly cross-reactive monoclonal antibodies against beta coronaviruses.