Dr. Mihai Netea is a world-renowned immunologist and leading authority on innate immune memory who serves as Head of the Division of Experimental Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands. Born in Cluj, Romania in 1968, he completed his medical education at the Medico-Pharmaceutical Institute in Cluj-Napoca before earning his PhD from Radboud University in 1998 with research focused on cytokine networks in sepsis. Following postdoctoral training at the University of Colorado, he returned to Nijmegen to complete his clinical specialization in infectious diseases, establishing himself as a prominent figure in immunological research. Currently, he holds distinguished professorships at multiple institutions including Professor of Immunometabolism at the University of Bonn and Professor of Immunology at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Craiova, while directing the GVN Center of Excellence.
Professor Netea pioneered the groundbreaking concept of 'trained immunity,' which fundamentally transformed our understanding of how the innate immune system develops memory-like properties independent of adaptive immunity. His research demonstrated that prototypical innate immune cells such as monocytes and natural killer cells can provide protection against reinfection through T/B-cell-independent mechanisms, challenging long-held immunological paradigms. Netea's team elucidated the specific signaling pathways including dectin-1/Raf1 and NOD2-mediated mechanisms that induce trained immunity through epigenetic reprogramming involving histone modifications and metabolic circuits. His work has profound implications for vaccine development, explaining the non-specific protective effects of vaccines like BCG and opening new avenues for immunotherapeutic approaches to combat infectious diseases and inflammatory conditions.
As Director of the GVN Center of Excellence, Netea leads major collaborative initiatives including a comprehensive database and biobank project with seven regional hospitals to identify biomarkers of severity in COVID-19 patients. His laboratory continues to advance translational immunology through innovative clinical trials of immunotherapies including anti-IL-1 and anti-IL-6 therapies, kallikrein system interventions, and angiotensin receptor antagonists for severe infections. Recognized with the prestigious Spinoza Prize in 2016 and membership in the Netherlands Royal Academy of Sciences, Netea remains at the forefront of immunological research with an ERC Advanced grant supporting his ongoing work on repurposing vaccines through induction of heterologous immunity. His current research bridges fundamental immunological mechanisms with clinical applications, positioning his work to significantly impact future approaches to infectious disease prevention and treatment worldwide.
