Biography

Jeroen Pasterkamp obtained his PhD degree at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience and the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam with Joost Verhaagen and Dick Swaab. He carried out postdoctoral research at the Department of Neuroscience of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, USA. In 2005, he joined the Department of Translational Neuroscience of the UMC Utrecht, where he is currently appointed as a professor of translational neuroscience. He is chair of the UMC Utrecht Brain Center and head of the Department of Translational Neuroscience.

His research focuses on understanding 1) the signaling events and molecular mechanisms involved in the formation of neuronal connections during development, and 2) the molecular mechanisms underlying changes in or loss of neuronal connectivity during neurological disease (in particular amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)). This research concentrates on mouse models and humanized cell models (iPSC, organoids, microfluidics) using an integrated approach involving molecular biology, cell biology, neuroanatomy, (in vivo) functional proteomics, imaging, HC screening, and mouse genetics.

His work was published in leading journals such as Cell, Developmental Cell, Neuron, Nature, Nature Communications, and he regularly contributes reviews to Current Opinion, Trends and Nature Reviews journals.

Jeroen Pasterkamp is a recipient of a NARSAD Young Investigator, Dan Nathans Young Investigator Award, and HFSP Career Development Award. He received VENI, VIDI and VICI grants, and is co-leading the NWO Gravitation program BRAINSCAPES. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory board of the Prinses Beatrix Spierfonds and a board member of the Dutch Parkinson Scientists. He organizes scientific meetings under the framework of EMBO and Utrecht Summerschool series.

Research line

Neural circuit development and Translational neuroscience

Most recent key publications

1. Robinson RA, Griffiths SC, van de Haar LL, Malinauskas T, van Battum EY, Zelina P, Schwab RA, Karia D, Malnauskaite L, Brignani S, van den Munkhof M, Düdükcü Ö, de Ruiter AA, van den Heuvel DMA, Bishop B, Elegheert J, Aricescu AR, Pasterkamp RJ*, Siebold C* (2021) Simultaneous binding of guidance cues NET1 and RGM blocks extracellular NEO1 signaling (2021) Cell 184:2103-2120. *Shared senior authors.

2. Brignani S, Raj DDA, Schmidt ERE, Düdükcü Ö, Adolfs Y, De Ruiter AA, Rybiczka-Tesulov M, Verhagen MG, van der Meer C, Broekhoven MH, Moreno-Bravo JA, Grossouw LM, Dumontier E, Cloutier JF, Chédotal A, Pasterkamp RJ (2020). Remotely Produced and Axon-Derived Netrin-1 Instructs GABAergic Neuron Migration and Dopaminergic Substantia Nigra Development. Neuron 107, 684-702.

3. Ormel PR, Vieira de Sá R, van Bodegraven EJ, Karst H, Harschnitz O, Sneeboer MAM, Johansen LE, van Dijk RE, Scheefhals N, Berdenis van Berlekom A, Ribes Martínez E, Kling S, MacGillavry HD, van den Berg LH, Kahn RS, Hol EM, de Witte LD, Pasterkamp RJ (2018) Microglia innately develop within cerebral organoids. Nat Commun 9, 4167.
 
4. Jongbloets BC, Lemstra S, Schellino R, Broekhoven MH, Parkash J, Hellemons AJ, Mao T, Giacobini P, van Praag H, De Marchis S, Ramakers GM, Pasterkamp RJ (2017) Stage-specific functions of Semaphorin7A during adult hippocampal neurogenesis rely on distinct receptors. Nat Commun 8:14666.
 
5. Kong Y, Janssen BJ, Malinauskas T, Vangoor VR, Coles CH, Kaufmann R, Ni T, Gilbert RJ, Padilla-Parra S, Pasterkamp RJ*, Jones EY* (2016). Structural Basis for Plexin Activation and Regulation. Neuron 91, 548-60. *Shared senior authors.
 
6. Van Erp S, van den Heuvel DMA, Fujita Y, Robinson R, Hellemons AJCGM, Adolfs Y, Van Battum EY, Blokhuis AM, Kuijpers M, Demmers J, Hedman H, Hoogenraad CC, Siebold C, Yamashita T, Pasterkamp RJ (2015) Lrig2 negatively regulates ectodomain shedding of axon guidance receptors by ADAM proteases. Dev Cell 35, 537-552.

7. Schmidt ER, Brignani S, Adolfs Y, Lemstra S, Demmers J, Vidaki M, Donahoo AL, Lilleväli K, Vasar E, Richards LJ, Karagogeos D, Kolk SM, Pasterkamp RJ (2014). Subdomain-mediated axon-axon signaling and chemoattraction cooperate to regulate afferent innervation of the lateral habenula. Neuron 83, 372-387.