Julie van der Zee

Julie van der Zee
Neurodegenerative Brain Diseases Group
Department of Molecular Genetics, VIB
Laboratory of Neurogenetics, Institute Born-Bunge,
University of Antwerp
BSc Medicine, University of Ghent, 1999
MSc Medical Biology, Free University of Amsterdam, 2003
PhD Biomedical Science, University of Antwerp, 2007
Current Position
Staff Scientist at VIB Department of Molecular Genetics
Assistant Professor in Translational Genetics at University of Antwerp
Team Leader Early-Onset Dementia
E-mail: julie.vanderzee@molgen.vib-ua.be
Phone: +32 3 265 1032
Current Team Members
PhD student: Nicole Ziliotto, MSc
Research Assistants: Lubina Dillen, PhD
Technical Staff: Céline Merlin, BSc; Annelies Laureys, BSc
Keywords
Translational Genetics – early-onset dementia - frontotemporal lobar
degeneration
Science
Julie van der Zee holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences. Since 2012, she is Assistant
Professor in Translational Genetics at the University of Antwerp in the VIB
Department of Molecular Genetics.
Her research focusses on translational genetic research of early-onset dementia.
Her expertise is in genetics of frontotemporal lobar degeneration, together with
Alzheimer’s disease a common cause of early-onset dementia. Here present
research aims to contribute to the elucidation of the missing heritability of
dementia by focusing on extreme phenotype patients in terms of early onset or
high familial load. Study of these high-genetic load patients, combined with the
latest next-generation sequencing and -omics technologies should lead to the
discovery of new genetic factors, both for early- and the more common late-onset
forms of dementia. One of the spearhead projects consists of translational genetic
and clinical research in families with early-onset dementia segregating causal
mutations, aiming at a better understanding of the preclinical stages, diagnosis
and prognosis of dementia. This work is likely to contribute to novel therapeutic
approaches.
In this research context, together with Prof. Dr. C. Van Broeckhoven, they are
coordinating the European Early-Onset Dementia consortium (European EOD
consortium). The European EOD consortium brings together a multidisciplinary
group of experts in clinical and basic research and in different disciplines including
neurology, neuropathology, neuroimaging, neuropsychology, neurogenetics and

neurobiology. The consortium currently holds 50 dementia expertise centers from
16 EU-countries and is further setting up new collaborations with national and
international partners.
Selected Research Projects and Fellowships
Foundation Alzheimer Research (SAO-FRA). Pilot Award
Period: , 01.01.2013 – 31.12.2014
Title: ‘High-profile translational genetic research on early-onset dementia’
Role: PI
Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). Research Fellowship
Period: 01.10.2011 – 30.09.2014
Title: ‘Molecular genetics and biomarker research of frontotemporal lobar
degeneration supported by robust biosampling and biobanking strategies’
Role: Fellow
Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). Investigator Initiated Grant
Period: 01.01.2011 – 31.12.2013
Title: ‘In depth investigation of TMEM106B as first common risk factor for FTLD in
a Flanders-Belgian population of clinically diagnosed patients’
Role: PI
International Alzheimer Research Foundation (SAO/FRMA). Pilot Award
Period: 01.01.2011 – 31.12.2012
Title: ‘Follow-up of genome-wide association studies in a powerful study
population of Belgium FTLD patients’
Role: PI
Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). Research Fellowship
Period: 01.10.2008 – 30.09.2011
Title: ‘Genetic risk for frontotemporal lobar degeneration: A genome-wide
approach’
Role: Fellow
All Projects and Fellowships
Selected Publications
van der Zee,J., Gijselinck,I., Dillen,L., Van Langenhove,T., Theuns,J.,
Engelborghs,S., Philtjens,S., Vandenbulcke,M., Sleegers,K., Sieben,A.,
Bäumer,V., Maes,G., Corsmit,E., Borroni,B., Padovani,A., Archetti,S.,
Perneczky,R., Diehl-Schmid,J., De Mendonca,A., Miltenberger-Miltenyi,G.,
Pereira,S., Pimentel,J., Nacmias,B., Bagnoli,S., Sorbi,S., Graff,C., Chiang,H.-H.,
Westerlund,M., Sanchez-Valle,R., Llado,A., Gelpi,E., Santana,I., Rosario
Almeida,M., Santiago,B., Frisoni,G., Zanetti,O., Bonvicini,C., Synofzik,M.,
Maetzler,W., Müller vom Hagen,J., Schöls,L., Heneka,M.T., Jessen,F., Matej,R.,
Parobkova,E., Kovacs,G.G., Ströbel,T., Sarafov,S., Tournev,I., Jordanova,A.,
Danek,A., Arzberger,T., Fabrizi,G.-M., Testi,S., Salmon,E., Santens,P., Martin,J-
J., Cras,P., Vandenberghe,R., De Deyn,P.P., Cruts,M., Van Broeckhoven,C., on
behalf of the European Early-Onset Dementia (EOD) Consortium,: A Pan-
European study of the C9orf72 repeat associated with FTLD: geographic
prevalence, genomic instability and intermediate repeats. Human Mutation 34(2):
363-373 (2013) (I.F.: 5.213)
Gijselinck,I., Van Langenhove,T., van der Zee,J., Sleegers,K., Philtjens,S.,
Kleinberger,G., Janssens,J., Bettens,K., Van Cauwenberghe,C., Pereson,S.,
Engelborghs,S., Sieben,A., De Jonghe,P., Vandenberghe,R., Santens,P., De
Bleecker,J., Maes,G., Bäumer,V., Dillen,L., Joris,G., Cuijt,I., Corsmit,E., Elinck,E.,

Van Dongen,J., Vermeulen,S., Van den Broeck,M., Vaerenberg,C.,
Mattheijssens,M., Peeters,K., Robberecht,W., Cras,P., Martin,J-J., De Deyn,P.,
Cruts,M., Van Broeckhoven,C.: A C9orf72 promoter repeat expansion in a
Flanders-Belgian cohort with disorders of the frontotemporal lobar degenerationamyotrophic
lateral sclerosis spectrum: a gene identification study. Lancet
Neurology 11(1): 54-65 (2012) (I.F.: 21.659) (PMID: 22154785)
van der Zee,J., Van Langenhove,T., Kleinberger,G., Sleegers,K., Engelborghs,S.,
Vandenberghe,R., Santens,P., Van den Broeck,M., Joris,G., Brys,J.,
Mattheijssens,M., Peeters,K., Cras,P., De Deyn,P., Cruts,M., Van Broeckhoven,C.:
TMEM106B is associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration in a clinically
diagnosed patient cohort. Brain 134(Pt 3):808-15 (2011) (I.F.:9.490) (PMID:
21354975)
Van Deerlin,V.M., Sleiman,P.M.A., Martinez-Lage,M., Chen-Plotkin,A., Wang,L-S,
Schellenberg,G., Hakonarson,H., Trojanowski,J.Q., Lee,V.M-Y., Graff-
Radford,N.R., Dickson,D., Rademakers,R., Grossman,M., Arnold,S.E.,
Mann,D.M.A., Pickering-Brown,Stuart M., Heutink,P., Van Swieten,J., Murrell,J.R.,
Ghetti,B., Spina,S., Hodges,J., Spillanti,M., Gilman,S., Lieberman,A.P., Kaye,J.A.,
Woltjer,R.L., Bigio,E.H., Mesulam,M., al-Sarraj,S., Troakes,C., Rosenberg,R.N.,
White,C.L., Ferrer,I., lladó,A., Neumann,M., Kretzschmar,H.A., Hulette,C., Welsh-
Bohmer,K.A., Miller,B.L., Alzualde,A., Lopez de Munain,A., McKee,A.C.,
Gearing,M., Levey,A.I., Lashley,T., Revesz,T., Mackenzie,I.R., Feldman,H.,
Hamilton,R.L., Dekosky,S.T., van der Zee,J., Kumar-Singh,S., Van
Broeckhoven,C., Mayeux,R., Vonsattel,J-P.G., Price,D.L., Troncoso,J., Kril,J.,
Kwok,J.B.J., Halliday,G., Bird,T., Ince,P.G., Cairns,N.J., McLean,C.A., Ellis,W.G.,
Freeman,S.M., Frosch,M.P., Growdon,J., Perl,D.P., Sano,M., Bennett,D.A.,
Schneider,J.A., Beach,T.G., Reiman,E.M., Cummings,J., Vinters,H.V., Chui,H.,
Miller,C.A., Alafuzoff,I., Seilhean,D., Galasko,D., Masliah,E., Cotman,C.W.,
Tuñon,M.T., Munoz,D.G., Carroll,S.L., Marson,D., Bogdanovic,N., Riederer,P.:
Common variants at 7p21 are associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration
with TDP-43 inclusions. Nature Genetics 42(3): 234-239 (2010) (I.F.: 30.259)
(PMID: 20154673)
van der Zee,J., Urwin,H., Engelborghs,S., Bruyland,M., Vandenberghe,R.,
Dermaut,B., De Pooter,T., Peeters,K., Santens,P., De Deyn,P.P., Cruts,M.,
Fisher,E.M.C., Collinge,J., Isaacs,A., Van Broeckhoven,C.: CHMP2B C-truncating
mutations in frontotemporal lobar degeneration are associated with an aberrant
endosomal phenotype in vitro. Human Molecular Genetics 17(2):313-322
(2008) (I.F.: 7.249) (PMID: 17956895)
Cruts,M., Gijselinck,I., van der Zee,J., Engelborghs,S., Wils,H., Pirici,D.,
Rademakers,R., Vandenberghe,R., Dermaut,B., Martin,J-J., van Duijn,C.,
Peeters,K., Sciot,R., Santens,P., De Pooter,T., Mattheijssens,M., Van den
Broeck,M., Cuijt,I., Vennekens,K., De Deyn,P., Kumar-Singh,S., Van
Broeckhoven,C.: Null mutations in progranulin cause ubiquitine-positive
frontotemporal dementia linked to chromosome 17q21. Nature 442: 920-924
(2006) (I.F.: 26.681) (PMID: 16862115)
All Publications