Ben Giepmans PhD

Ben Giepmans is intrigued by how biomolecules act together to control cell fate in health and disease. He is a cell biologist and molecular biochemist/ microscopist. His PhD research at The Netherlands Cancer Institute (WH Moolenaar; 2001) and related work in The Scripps Research Institute (CA, USA; MM Falk) have led to a better molecular understanding of regulation of gap junctions.

In his second post-doc he implemented several new advanced imaging techniques and probes to study protein dynamics in live cells and protein localization at high resolution. These studies have given unexpected new insights in Golgi apparatus reformation during mitosis (MH Ellisman & RY Tsien at NCMIR, University of California, San Diego).

In 2007 he started his research group at the department of Biomedical Science of Cells & Systems, UMC Groningen where he also leads the UMCG microscopy & imaging center. The team develops and/or implements new imaging techniques and probes for large-scale and multimodal microscopy in multiple research projects. Particular focus is on Islets of Langerhans to help to understand trigger(s) and potential new therapies for Type 1 diabetes.

• • All Publications: mepa page or overview (pdf file)

  • Selected Publications:

  1. de Boer P, Pirozzi NM, Wolters AHG, Kuipers J, Kusmartseva I, Atkinson MA, Campbell-Thompson M, Giepmans BNG. Large-scale electron microscopy database for human type 1 diabetesNat Commun. 2020 May 18;11(1):2475. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-16287-5.
  2. Kuipers J, Giepmans BNG.  Neodymium as an alternative contrast for uranium in electron microscopy. Histochem Cell Biol. 2020 Apr;153(4):271-277. doi: 10.1007/s00418-020-01846-0. Epub 2020 Feb 1.
  3. Pirozzi NM, Hoogenboom JP, Giepmans BNG.  ColorEM: analytical electron microscopy for element-guided identification and imaging of the building blocks of life.  Histochem Cell Biol. 2018 Nov;150(5):509-520. doi: 10.1007/s00418-018-1707-4. Epub 2018 Aug 17.
  4. de Boer P, Hoogenboom JP, Giepmans BN (2015) Correlated light and electron microscopy: ultrastructure lights up! Nat Methods 12:503-13. (pdf)
  5. Ravelli RB, Kalicharan RD, Avramut MC, Sjollema KA, Pronk JW, Dijk F, Koster AJ, Visser JT, Faas FG, Giepmans BN (2013) Destruction of tissue, cells and organelles in type 1 diabetic rats presented at macromolecular resolution. Sci Rep 3:1804. (pdf)
  6. Schnell U, Dijk F, Sjollema KA, Giepmans BN (2012) Immunolabeling artifacts and the need for live-cell imaging. Nat Methods 9:152-8. (pdf)
  7. Gaietta GM/ Giepmans BN, Deerinck TJ, Smith WB, Ngan L, Llopis J, Adams SR, Tsien RY, Ellisman MH (2006) Golgi twins in late mitosis revealed by genetically encoded tags for live cell imaging and correlated electron microscopy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103:17777-82. (pdf)
  8. Giepmans BN, Adams SR, Ellisman MH, Tsien RY (2006) The fluorescent toolbox for assessing protein location and function. Science 312:217-24.  (pdf)
  9. Giepmans BN, Deerinck TJ, Smarr BL, Jones YZ, Ellisman MH (2005) Correlated light and electron microscopic imaging of multiple endogenous proteins using Quantum dots. Nat Methods 2:743-9. (pdf)
  10. Giepmans BN, Verlaan I, Hengeveld T, Janssen H, Calafat J, Falk MM, Moolenaar WH (2001) Gap junction protein connexin-43 interacts directly with microtubules. Curr Biol 11:1364-8. (pdf)