Dineke Verbeek, PhD

MSc in Medical Biology, University of Utrecht, 2000
PhD thesis: The localization and identification of novel SCA genes in the Dutch autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia population, Utrecht University, 2005

News

January 2021: Appointed adjunct director of the MSc Biomedical Sciences
June 2018: First Dutch Ataxia Symposium (poster) This one-day meeting at the UMCG brought together ataxia scientists to strengthen national collaborations, raise the profile of ataxia research in the Netherlands and develop opportunities for young scientists to pursue a career in ataxia research. It was be the first of what is to become a yearly meeting.
Jan 2017: Appointed associate professor

See all my papers in PubMed or in Google Scholar
Phone: + 31 (0)6 52724553
Email

Keywords: Brain disorders, genetics, neuroscience, neurodegeneration, cell biology and molecular biology

Dineke Verbeek received a MSc in Medical Biology (2002) and a PhD in Neurogenetics (2005) from the University of Utrecht. In 2004, she joined the Neurogenetics Branch of the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, USA via a predoctoral fellowship award. The following year, she joined the Department of Medical Biology of the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam. Since 2008, she has been at the Department of Genetics of the University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, where she is the coordinator of the Education & Research section, an Associate professor (tenure track) and a Rosalind Franklin Fellow. She is also a member of the Movement Disorders Groningen expertise center.

Dineke’s research centers on functional neurogenetics, with a focus on rare movement disorders. Her group aims to understand the genetic, molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie rare movement disorders, including ataxia, dystonia and familial Parkinson’s disease. With this work, she seeks to contribute to improvements in current genetic diagnostics and ultimately to the development of therapies for these as of yet incurable diseases. Currently, the Verbeek group comprises 6 PhD students.

Within the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Dineke is currently the coordinator for a 6-week MSc course on Experimental Techniques in Research and a PhD course on Managing your PhD, as well as lecturing in several other courses. Additionally, she is the (scientific) mentor of BSc medical students, MMIT MSc students and PhD students. She has been a member of the Educational Committee of the MSc of Biomedical Sciences of the Faculty of Science & Engineering for several years and has participated in a number of steering committees to improve current education. Since 2019, she is also chairman of the Medical Public Academy of the UMCG.

3 key publications

(for all publications see Pubmed: Verbeek DS)

A Gain-of-Function Variant in Dopamine D2 Receptor and Progressive Chorea and Dystonia Phenotype . van der Weijden MCM, Rodriguez-Contreras D, Delnooz CCS, Robinson BG, Condon AF, Kielhold ML, Stormezand GN, Ma KY, Dufke C, Williams JT, Neve KA, Tijssen MAJ, Verbeek DS. Mov Disord. 2020 Nov 16. doi: 10.1002/mds.28385. Online ahead of print. PMID: 33200438
Exome sequencing and network analysis identifies shared mechanisms underlying spinocerebellar ataxia . Nibbeling EAR, Duarri A, Verschuuren-Bemelmans CC, Fokkens MR, Karjalainen JM, Smeets CJLM, de Boer-Bergsma JJ, van der Vries G, Dooijes D, Bampi GB, van Diemen C, Brunt E, Ippel E, Kremer B, Vlak M, Adir N, Wijmenga C, van de Warrenburg BPC, Franke L, Sinke RJ, Verbeek DS. Brain. 2017 Nov 1;140(11):2860-2878. doi: 10.1093/brain/awx251.
Mutations in potassium channel KCND3 cause spinocerebellar ataxia type 19. Duarri A, Jezierska J, Fokkens M, Meijer M, Schelhaas HJ, den Dunnen WF, van Dijk F, Verschuuren-Bemelmans C, Hageman G, van de Vlies P, Küsters B, van de Warrenburg BP, Kremer B, Wijmenga C, Sinke RJ, Swertz MA, Kampinga HH, Boddeke E, Verbeek DS. Ann Neurol. 2012 Dec;72(6):870-80. doi: 10.1002/ana.23700.

Recent publications

Early Onset Ataxia with Comorbid Dystonia: Clinical, Anatomical and Biological Pathway Analysis Expose Shared Pathophysiology. Sival DA, Garofalo M, Brandsma R, Bokkers TA, van den Berg M, de Koning TJ, Tijssen MAJ, Verbeek DS. Diagnostics (Basel). 2020 Nov 24;10(12):E997. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics10120997.PMID: 33255407
A Gain-of-Function Variant in Dopamine D2 Receptor and Progressive Chorea and Dystonia Phenotype . van der Weijden MCM, Rodriguez-Contreras D, Delnooz CCS, Robinson BG, Condon AF, Kielhold ML, Stormezand GN, Ma KY, Dufke C, Williams JT, Neve KA, Tijssen MAJ, Verbeek DS. Mov Disord. 2020 Nov 16. doi: 10.1002/mds.28385. Online ahead of print. PMID: 33200438
Cerebellar developmental deficits underlie neurodegenerative disorder spinocerebellar ataxia type 23 . Smeets CJLM, Ma KY, Fisher SE, Verbeek DS. Brain Pathol. 2020 Oct 12:e12905. doi: 10.1111/bpa.12905. Online ahead of print. PMID: 33043513
Cross-disease analysis of depression, ataxia and dystonia highlights a role for synaptic plasticity and the cerebellum in the pathophysiology of these comorbid diseases . Huang M, de Koning TJ, Tijssen MAJ, Verbeek DS. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis. 2021 Jan 1;1867(1):165976. doi: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2020.165976. Epub 2020 Oct 2.
CAG Repeat Size Influences the Progression Rate of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3. Leotti VB, de Vries JJ, Oliveira CM, de Mattos EP, Te Meerman GJ, Brunt ER, Kampinga HH, Jardim LB, Verbeek DS. Ann Neurol. 2021 Jan;89(1):66-73. doi: 10.1002/ana.25919. Epub 2020 Oct 7. PMID: 32978817

E-RARE 2012

Dineke was awarded a grant by E-RARE for work on SCA-3.
"Dineke Verbeek heeft eveneens E-Rare financiering in de wacht gesleept. Haar project richt zich op een vorm van spinocerebellaire ataxie (SCA): de ziekte van Machado-Joseph (SCA-3). SCA tast de kleine hersenen aan en SCA-3 is van de 37 varianten de meest voorkomende, vertelt de onderzoekster. In Nederland gaat het om honderd tot hondervijftig patiënten." (See full article "Handen ineen voor onderzoek naar zeldzame ziekten", in Dutch)

Like to join my group?

We are always interested in enthusiastic and well-motivated MSc students looking for an internship of 5-6 months. Please enquire about the possibilities. We have opportunities for a postdoc position if you can gain a Marie Curie or EMBO fellowship to cover your own salary. P lease email me.