Editorial board of ALD info

Marc Engelen received his MD from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands in 2002. He was trained as a neurologist and subsequently subspecialized in pediatric neurology at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers. In 2012, Dr. Engelen receivedhis PhD on “Translational studies in adrenoleukodystrophy”. He is currently a member of the medical staff of the Department of Neurology and the Department of Pediatrics at Amsterdam UMC. Marc has a special interest in peroxisomal diseases. In 2015, Amsterdam UMC was designated as the national expert center for this group of diseases. His research focuses on adrenoleukodystrophy and in 2019 he received a Vidi grant from the NWO (Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research) to study the natural history of adrenoleukodystrophy and identify predictive biomarkers for the development of cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy.

Rachel Salzman is the Chief Scientific Officer of the Stop ALD Foundation (SALD), a position she has held since 2001. SALD is a nonprofit medical research organization dedicated to using entrepreneurial approaches and innovative methods to find effective therapies, cures and prevention for adrenoleukodystrophy. The Foundation’s biomedical interests include gene therapy, hematopoietic stem cells, mesenchymal and other adult stem cells, genomics, and small molecules. Rachel also consults with large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the area of drug development, including preclinical and clinical analysis in a variety of therapeutic areas. This consulting includes advising animal health developers and the food manufacturing industry on nutritional supplements, preventive healthcare, and animal housing conditions welfare practices. Prior to these roles, Rachel worked in private veterinary practice for over 10 years in both large and small animal medicine. She holds a D.V.M. from Oklahoma State University and a B.S. from Rutgers University.

Virginie Bonnamain is currently a Clinical Scientist at Glycostem Therapeutics, where she leads clinical and project management activities for NK cell-based immunotherapy trials in oncology indications. Virginie has more than 12 years of experience in R&D and project management, in the life sciences, including 6 years in drug development, rare diseases and cell & gene therapy, acquired in various academic institutions (University of Nantes Medical School, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Cleveland Clinic) and biotech companies. In particular, she worked as Clinical Project Manager for a gene therapy trial for adrenoleukodystrophy and also contributed to the development of a European academic consortium for adrenomyeloneuropathy, aimed at improving patient care and understanding of the disease. Virginie received an MSc in Biological & Medical Sciences in 2006 and a PhD in Neuroimmunology in 2009 from the University of Nantes, France. She has published 18 scientific publications/book chapters.

Stephan Kemp is Associate Professor at the Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He was trained as a translational researcher at the Johns Hopkins University/ Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA and received his Ph.D. from the University of Amsterdam in 1999. Stephan has more than 25 years of experience in adrenoleukodystrophy research and has published more than 100 papers and book chapters on adrenoleukodystrophy. In 1999, together with Dr. Hugo Moser, he initiated the ALD database (www.x-ald.nl), which moved to www.adrenoleukodystrophy.info in 2017. He is a scientific advisor to the Dutch ALD Patient Organisation and the Stop ALD Foundation, a member of the Expert Panel of Alex TLC (UK), a member of the Scientific Board of the European Leukodystrophy Association (ELA) and a member of the Board of Directors of ALD Connect. Dr. Kemp is the project leader of the SCAN study, the pilot project for the implementation of ALD newborn screening in the Netherlands. In 2015 he received the AMC Societal Impact Award (ASIA). His research interests are inherited neurometabolic diseases and newborn screening.

Last modified | 2024-06-22