Bas is a pediatric rheumatologist in the “EULAR center of excellence in rheumatology" Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital Utrecht. Besides being an esteemed clinician in the field of Pediatric Rheumatology, he has developed into a translational researcher, with a PhD on mechanisms of disease and therapy in severe JIA in 2013. From 2015, he has been starting a translational research group together with Jorg van Loosdregt, molecular biologist. They currently supervise 5 PhD students, 1 post-doc and 2 technicians together, within the Center of Translational Immunology in Utrecht (v Loosdregt-Vastert group). Their labgroup aims to translate cutting edge science into clinical benefit for patients and their research focusses on systemic JIA and on development of novel treatment strategies for JIA. Bas is currently leading a multi-center prospective trial implementing a biomarker driven stop-strategy for rIL-1RA therapy in systemic JIA in the Netherlands (the ESTIS trial).

In addition, as a designated Young Investigator, Bas is the Dutch lead for all translational laboratory studies within UCAN CAN DU (major infrastructural research project 2017-2021 in Canada and the Netherlands).

Key words: Translational research in childhood arthritis, biology of systemic JIA, (regulation of) auto-inflammation, regulation of autoimmune inflammation, epigenetics.

- 2007: Young investigator Meeting, Pediatric rheumatology European Society: Award for best basic abstract .

- 2014: Wilhelmina Research Fund (co-applicant), € 150 000 : Dissecting the complex role of S100-proteins in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

- 2015: ZonMW Rational Pharmacotherapy grant, € 340 000 : Biomarker guided treatment and stop strategy for rIL-1RA therapy in systemic JIA.

- 2016-2019: Wilhelmina Kinderziekenhuis Fonds, Rosenberg foundation / Vrienden WKZ (€340 000): Modulation of Treg in JIA by Nicotinamide. Principal Investigator, no overlap.

- 2016-2021: ZonMW grant, Rational Pharmacotherapy for implementation of biomarker guided tapering strategy of rIL-1RA in systemic JIA (€340 000 + €190 000 contribution Sobi). Principal Investigator, clinical trial, no overlap.

- 2017-2021: UCAN CAN DU: (8,0 mln Can$). Canada – Netherlands Personalized Medicine Network in Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatic diseases. Young Investigator, NL lead for laboratory studies within UCAN CAN DU. (PI: R. Yeung, NM Wulffraat, co-PI JF Swart, S. Benseler).   

Translational research in childhood arthritis, biology of systemic JIA, (regulation of) auto-inflammation, regulation of autoimmune inflammation, epigenetics.