Prof. Dr. Ger Rijkers

Department of Sciences
University College Roosevelt, Middelburg

Laboratory for Medical Microbiology and Immunology
St. Elisabeth Hospital, Tilburg

The Netherlands

g.rijkers@ucr.nl

Ger Rijkers (1952) is Professor of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University College Roosevelt, Netherlands and a medical immunologist and senior scientist at the Microvida Laboratory of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at St Elisabeth Hospital in Tilburg, the Netherlands. Rijkers has studied biology at Wageningen University and subsequently did his PhD research at the same institute on the immune systems of fish. Directly afterwards he became (medical) immunologist in the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital in Utrecht, specializing in paediatric immunodeficiencies, autoimmune diseases, and respiratory infections. He next went on to work on gastrointestinal mucosal immune systems and the interaction with gut microbiota at the University Medical Center Utrecht and the St. Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein. In 2010 he accepted the position as head of the Science Department of UCR in Middelburg. At UCR he is teaching courses in the biomedical and life sciences, supervises students in their senior projects and is coordinator of the premedical track. In 2019 he joined the Laboratory of Medical Microbiology and Immunology of the St Elisabeth Hospital in Tilburg as medical immunologist, a position which includes consulting for immunology in the Admiral De Ruyter Hospital in Goes and Zorgsaam Hospital in Terneuzen.

He has published over 350 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has supervised over 25 PhD students in their thesis work. Ger Rijkers is co-editor in chief of Pneumonia. He also is Editor for the journal Biology.
Ger Rijkers is married to Riky Lievendag for 45 years, they have 3 adult sons and 3 grandchildren.

Selected publications:

Leerboek immunologie. G.T. Rijkers F.G.M. Kroese, Uitgever: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum, Co-auteur: R.H.W.M. Derksen C.G.M. Kallenberg, 2de druk 2016, ISBN 9789036802574

Differences in Antibody Kinetics and Functionality Between Severe and Mild Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infections. Rijkers G, Murk JL, Wintermans B, van Looy B, van den Berge M, Veenemans J, Stohr J, Reusken C, van der Pol P, Reimerink J.
J Infect Dis. 2020 Sep 14;222(8):1265-1269.

Global analysis of clinical trials with probiotics. Dronkers TMG, Ouwehand AC, Rijkers GT.
Heliyon. 2020 Jul 17;6(7):e04467. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04467.

More bricks in the wall against SARS-CoV-2 infection: involvement of γ9δ2 T cells. Rijkers G, Vervenne T, van der Pol P.. Cell Mol Immunol. 2020 Jul;17(7):771-772. doi: 10.1038/s41423-020-0473-0.

Death and the Miser: microbiota regulate the outcome of checkpoint inhibition immunotherapy. Rijkers GT, Andriessen SQ, van Overveld FJ. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2019 Oct;19(10):831-834.

Genetics in community-acquired pneumonia. Rijkers GT, Holzer L, Dusselier T.
Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2019 May;25(3):323-329.
.
A practical guide for probiotics applied to the case of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in The Netherlands. Agamennone V, Krul CAM, Rijkers G, Kort R. BMC Gastroenterol. 2018 Aug 6;18(1):103. doi: 10.1186/s12876-018-0831-x.

Triptych of the Hermit Saints: pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines for the elderly.
Rijkers GT, Yousif LI, Spoorenberg SM, van Overveld FJ. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2018 Mar 27;11:55-65. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S130405

Rocking pneumonia. Rijkers GT, Rodriguez Gomez M. Pneumonia (Nathan). 2017 Dec 15;9:18. doi: 10.1186/s41479-017-0043-0.

Long Term Development of Gut Microbiota Composition in Atopic Children: Impact of Probiotics. Rutten NB, Gorissen DM, Eck A, Niers LE, Vlieger AM, Besseling-van der Vaart I, Budding AE, Savelkoul PH, van der Ent CK, Rijkers GT. PLoS One. 2015 Sep 17;10(9):e0137681. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137681.

Dexamethasone and length of hospital stay in patients with community-acquired pneumonia: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Meijvis SC, Hardeman H, Remmelts HH, Heijligenberg R, Rijkers GT, van Velzen-Blad H, Voorn GP, van de Garde EM, Endeman H, Grutters JC, Bos WJ, Biesma DH. Lancet. 2011 Jun 11;377(9782):2023-30. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60607-7.