Veerle Somers is a Full Professor of Molecular Biology at Hasselt University and Vice Dean of the Transnationale Universiteit Limburg, School of Life Sciences. She is head of disease markers & bionanotechnology program and biobank coordinator at the Biomedical Research Institute. Prof. Somers’ research at the Biomedical Research Institute focuses on B cell analysis and biomarker discovery in neurologic and autoimmune diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Spinal cord injury, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Rheumatoid arthritis and Axial spondyloarthritis. Current projects focus on biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis and therapy response in rheumatoid arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis, predictive biomarkers for autism spectrum disorders and biomarkers for prognosis of patients with spinal cord injury. In these projects, we use cDNA phage display to identify novel antibody biomarkers. Other projects focus on B cell self-reactivity and the role of age-associated B cells in immune aging, multiple sclerosis pathology and progression and spinal cord injury. The Somers’ lab has strong experience in translation of results to clinical applications.