Dr. Marvin van Luijn, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Immunology was awarded a prestigious Vidi grant from the NWO Talent Programme. This 5-year grant examines the immune response during multiple sclerosis (MS). The Vidi project, focuses on a novel CD4+ T lymphocyte called Th17.1 cells found in MS patients and the role genetic predisposition and persistent EBV infection play in the infiltration of the central nervous system of MS patients by these cells. The work will investigate exclusive markers and subsets of Th17.1 cells that are destined to enter the human brain and can be exploited for improved prognostication and therapeutics in MS.