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What happens in your body when germs enter? A fierce battle begins. The immune system works hard to clear out all the pathogens. How exactly does this process work? That’s what Het Klokhuis investigated. For this episode, the program visited Radboudumc. The result will be broadcast on Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24, at 6:45 PM on NPO3. Afterwards, you can watch the episode here.
The immune system protects your body against pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. It uses white blood cells to detect and eliminate invaders. Some cells eat the pathogens; others produce antibodies or remember what you’ve encountered before. This way, your body stays healthy and can respond faster to future attacks.
In the episode, we see Guilherme Gouveia, a PhD candidate at Radboudumc and a participant in a scientific study, lying in a hospital bed. He feels fine at first, but throughout the day he will become ill, experiencing symptoms such as fever, chills, and headache, and then recover. By the end of the day, he leaves feeling well again.
Gouveia is participating in a study led by ICU-researcher Matthijs Kox and colleagues. This research simulates sepsis, a disruption in the immune system that triggers a severe defense reaction against pathogens. This condition can cause permanent organ damage and lead to kidney failure and delirium. ‘Sepsis is relatively unknown, but it’s the number one cause of death in the ICU’, says Kox. In this article, he explains more about the study (in Dutch).
Neutrophil in action
The episode also features a microscopic video created by physiology researcher Pieter Leermakers and Marien de Jonge, professor of Infection and Immunity. The footage shows a neutrophil, a type of white blood cell, “eating” a bacterium live under the microscope. The immune system is in action. Pieter Leermakers explains: ‘In the video, it looks like one neutrophil and one bacterium, but in fact, we colored a large group of bacteria to make them visible. We then placed this group in a culture dish under an advanced microscope and added neutrophils. We zoomed in on an active neutrophil and waited for the big moment, and luckily, it happened.’
Amalia Children’s Hospital
Het Klokhuis also follows 13-year-old Bob, a patient at Radboudumc’s Amalia Children’s Hospital. He has a rare immune disorder, which means his immune system doesn’t function properly, leaving him often tired and sick. Pediatric immunologist and infectious disease specialist Stefanie Henriet regularly sees Bob for treatments and check-ups. In the episode, he receives an IV infusion to boost his immune system. This doesn’t cure his condition, but it helps keep illnesses at bay.
Stefanie Henriet: ‘At Radboudumc, we treat many young patients with immune system disorders, like Bob. We see how much their daily lives are limited by their illness. That’s why this research is so important. Hopefully, it will lead to more insights and new treatments in the future, so we can help our patients better and offer them a bright future.’
Tune in on Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24, 2025, at 6:45 PM to watch Het Klokhuis on NPO3. The episode will also be available afterwards via this link.
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Pauline Dekhuijzen
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