Ans van der Ploeg

Ans van der Ploeg, professor of Metabolic Diseases, is Chair of the Center for Lysosomal and Metabolic Diseases at the Erasmus MC University, Rotterdam, and chair of department for metabolic diseases of Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands. The Center for Lysosomal and Metabolic Diseases is a joined initiative of the departments of Pediatrics, (Child)Neurology, Internal Medicine, Clinical Genetics and Hospital Pharmacy to improve treatment, care and diagnosis of children and adults, to stimulate translational research, to provide education and to disseminate information. It serves as the national center of expertise for treatment with enzyme replacement therapy of patients with MPS I, MPS II, MPS VI and Pompe disease. The research performed by the center mainly focuses on lysosomal storage disorders and in particular Pompe disease, and includes clinical research as well as development of innovative therapies (Gene and cell based therapies).

Ans van der Ploeg received her MD “with honors” in 1985 at the Erasmus University. From 1985 till 1989 she worked at the Department of Cell Biology and Clinical Genetics on the feasibility of enzyme replacement therapy in cellular models for Pompe disease. Since then she has been involved in the multiple steps leading to the development of enzyme replacement therapy.

Ans van der Ploeg is leader of the rare disease profiling area at Erasmus MC – Sophia Children’s Hospital. She is the NFU representative at Erasmus MC for the centers of rare diseases. She is vice-coordinator of the European Pompe Consortium (EPOC), MetabERN and coordinator of the LSD subnetwork of MetabERN. She is member of several scientific advisory boards, member of the council of the Society of the Study Group of Inborn Errors of Metabolism (SSIEM). She was chair and organizer of the SSIEM symposium named “Building bridges” held in the Doelen in Rotterdam in 2019, which was attended by more than 3000 participants from 86 countries. The symposium focused in particular on innovative therapies such as gene therapy, regenerative medicine, RNA based therapies and potential benefits from other fields. She has published over 200 publications in peer reviewed international journals and books.