Rik Scheper, Ph.D.

Professor in Experimental Pathology
Head Laboratory of Exp Tumorimmunology
VU University Medical Center
De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Tel: +3120 444 4031/4002
Fax: +3120 444 2964

Email: rj.scheper@vumc.nl

Rik J Scheper is an immunologist and experimental pathologist, active in research, teaching and administration in the Dept of Pathology of the VU University Medical Center (VUmc) in Amsterdam. After his graduation and doctoral studies in Biochemistry he was a Royal Society Research Fellow at the Royal College of Surgeons in London (1975-1976), studying immunomodulatory effects of cytostatic drugs. Subsequently, he worked as a visiting Research Scientist at F. Hoffmann-LaRoche &Co, Ltd, Basle, Switzerland (1984-1985) on immunoregulation of allergic contact dermatitis, and as a visiting Research Professor at the Arizona Cancer Center, Tucson, Arizona, USA (1989-1990) on cytostatic drug and immune effector resistance mechanisms. Currently, in close collaborations with several clinical departments Rik J Scheper leads research groups in the fields of drug resistance, tumorimmunology and immunodermatology, and helds functions as Section Leader Immunotherapy of the Dept of Medical Oncology, and Vice-Director of the VUmc Institute of Immunology. In1993 Rik J Scheper was appointed as extraordinary Professor in Experimental Pathology, VUmc. His other hobbies include family life, travelling and piano playing.

Selected recent publications (2000-2001) on drug resistance and vaults:

Prechtl S, Roellinghoff M, SCHEPER RJ, Cole SPC, Deeley RG and Lohoff M. The multidrug resistance protein 1: functionally important activation marker for murine Th1 cells. J Immunol 164: 754-761, 2000.
Scheffer GL, Schroeijers AB, Izquierdo MA, Wiemer EA, SCHEPER RJ. Lung resistance-related protein/major vault protein and vaults in multidrug-resistant cancer. Curr Opin Oncol. 12(6):550-6, 2000.
de Jong MC, Slootstra JW, Scheffer GL, Schroeijers AB, Puijk WC, Dinkelberg R, Kool M, Broxterman HJ, Meloen RH, SCHEPER RJ. Peptide transport by the multidrug resistance protein MRP1. Cancer Res. 15;61(6):2552-7, 2001.
Siva AC, Raval-Fernandes S, Stephen AG, LaFemina MJ, SCHEPER RJ, Kickhoefer VA, Rome LH. Up-regulation of vaults may be necessary but not sufficient for multidrug resistance. Int J Cancer 15; 92(2):195-202, 2001.
van Zon A, Mossink MH, Schoester M, Scheffer GL, SCHEPER RJ, Sonneveld P, Wiemer EA. Multiple human vault rnas. expression and association with the vault complex. J Biol Chem. 276(40):37715-21, 2001.