Journal of Clinical and Cellular Immunology
Open Access

Virgil E.J.C. Schijns

Biography

Dr. Virgil E.J.C. Schijns is Doctor of Philosophy at Epitopoietic Research Corporation (ERC), Namur, Belgium. Dr. Schijns graduated in Medical Biology from the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, in 1986. He went on to study for a Ph.D. at the Institute of Virology and the ITRI-TNO (Rijswijk, The Netherlands), under the supervision of Professors Horzinek, Ruitenberg and Schellekens. He completed his thesis, entitled ‘In vivo antiviral activity of interferon-g’, in 1990 and took up a Postdoctoral position in the same institute. His research topic was the immunomodulatory role of cytokines during antiviral immune responses in a range of animal models (pseudorabies-, rabies-, cytomegalo-, mouse hepatitis-, feline immunodeficiency virus and feline infectious peritonitis virus). During this time he also carried out several collaborative projects, including one on the adjuvant activity of recombinant human interferon (IFN)-a and interleukin (IL)-2 in cats (Intervet International, Boxmeer, The Netherlands, and ITRI-TNO, Rijswijk, The Netherlands), another on the molecular cloning and expression of feline IL-4, IL-12 and IFN-g and their adjuvant activities in feline vaccines (Virbac, Carros, France), and a study of the genetic immunisation and T cell epitope selection through plasmids, using the pseudorabies model in mice and pigs (The Central Veterinary Institute ID-DLO, The Netherlands).

Research Interest

Cytokines, Virology, immunomodulation

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