Wia Baron PhD

She graduated cum laude in Biochemistry, with Immunology as an additional subject, at the University of Groningen in 1994. In 1999, she received her PhD degree in Medical Sciences from the University of Groningen under Prof. Dick Hoekstra, and has subsequently worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Cambridge Centre for Brain Repair in Cambrigde (UK) in the group of Prof. Charles ffrench-Constant. Dr. Baron was awarded an MS fellowship (2004) and is a VIDI-Aspasia recipient (2008).

Wia Baron is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems at theUniversity Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). Dr. Baron’s research interests lie in the area of myelin biogenesis and myelin repair with emphasis on the disease multiple sclerosis (MS).

• • All Publications: mepa page

  • Selected Publications:

  1. Werkman, I.L., Dubbelaar, M.L., van der Vlies, P., de Boer-Bergsma, J.J., Eggen B.J.L., and Baron, W. (2020). Transcriptional heterogeneity between primary adult grey and white matter astrocytes underlies differences in modulation of in vitro myelination. J. Neuroinflammation. 17:373.
  2. Werkman, I., Sikkema, A.H., Versluijs, J.B., Qin, J., de Boer, P., and Baron, W. (2020). TLR3 agonists induce fibronectin aggregation by activated astrocytes: a role of pro-inflammatory cytokines and fibronectin splice variants.  Rep. 10:532
  3. de Jong, C.G.H.M., Stancic, M., Pinxterhuis, T.H., van Horssen, J., van Dam, A.-M., Gabius, H.-J., and Baron, W. (2018). Galectin-4, a negative regulator of oligodendrocyte differentiation is persistently present in axons and microglia/macrophages in multiple sclerosis lesions.  Neuropathol. Exp. Neurol. 77:1024-1038.
  4. Wang, P., Gorter, R.P., de Jonge, J.C., Nazmuddin, M., Zhao, C., Amor, S., Hoekstra, D., and Baron, W. (2018), MMP7 cleaves remyelination-impairing fibronectin aggregates and its expression is reduced in chronic multiple sclerosis lesions, Glia 66:1625-1643.
  5. Lentferink, D.H., Jongsma, J.M., Werkman, I., and Baron, W. (2018), Grey matter OPCs are less mature and less sensitive to IFNg than white matter OPCs: consequences for remyelination, Sci Reps. 8:2113.
  6. Stoffels, J.M.J., Hoekstra, D., Franklin, R.J.M., Baron, W., and Zhao, C. (2015), The EIIIA domain from astrocyte-derived fibronectin mediates proliferation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells following CNS demyelination. Glia 63, 242-256.
  7. Stoffels, J.M., de Jonge, J.C., Stancic, M., Nomden, A., van Strien, M.E., Ma, D., Sisková, Z., Maier, O., ffrench-Constant, C., Franklin, R.J., Hoekstra, D., Zhao, C., and Baron, W.(2013), Fibronectin aggregation in multiple sclerosis lesions impairs remyelination. Brain 136, 116-131.
  8. Stancic, M., Slijepcevic, D, Nomden, A., Vos, M.J., de Jonge, J.C., Sikkema, A.H., Gabius, H.J., Hoekstra, D., and Baron, W. (2012), Galectin-4, a novel neuronal regulator of myelination., Glia60, 919-935.
  9. Baron, W., Decker, L., Colognato, H., and ffrench-Constant, C. (2003), Regulation of integrin growth factor interactions in oligodendrocytes by lipid raft microdomains. Curr. Biol. 13, 151-155.
  10. Baron, W., Shattil, S.J., and ffrench-Constant, C. (2002), The oligodendrocyte precursor mitogen PDGF stimulates proliferation by activation of avb3 integrins. EMBO J. 21, 1957-1966.