A #LabRetrospective, to highlight talented alumni.

First up, Dr Dina Danso-Abeam, my first PhD graduate. Dina was the first to identify Olmsted as a #PID, starting our work in gene-hunting in PIDs. Post-doc in Oxford/Dublin, now at @LegendBiotech

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23692804/ 

#LabRetrospective, today for the talented Dr Lei Tian. Responsible for the first research paper from my lab! Lei was involved in starting all the #diabetes work in the lab. After a memorable PhD defence she is now a Research Associate at @BGI_Genomics

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21715314/ 

#LabRetrospective, Dr Wim Pierson, who had the pressure of being the first Belgian in the lab. His work on IL2 and Tregs still guides the lab today. Went on to post-doc with @LintermanLab in Cambridge, and is now Senior Scientist Discovery at @CRiverLabs.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23852275/ 

#LabRetrospective: the wonderful Prof Stephanie Humblet-Baron. Post-doc with us for 8 years, now independent professor @KU_Leuven and close collaborator. Changed our understanding of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis ( #HLH): a disease caused by #Treg collapse. #PID gene-hunter!

#LabRetrospective. Dr Kim Staats, a career dedicated to Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. After a post-doc with us, she moved on to @UCLA for #ALS #genetics, and is now an expert consultant for biotech working on #neurodegeneration

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26112382/ 

#LabRetrospective: Diana Pombal, Masters student via @UTAD_RS and later technician. Helped out across many #PID gene-hunting projects, and always a positive team player. Moved to @Cambridge_Uni and now Senior Research Associate at @KymabLtd

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25777993/ 

#LabRetrospective, this time for Dr Anh Nguyen. A joint PhD project with @RaesLab @VUBrussel, she explored the intersection of #genes and #environment for the #mouse #microbiome. Post-doc at @ugent_fwe, now Senior Global Data Manager at @JanssenEMEA

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23347395/ 

#LabRetrospective - the turn of Dr Josselyn Garcia-Perez. PhD studies on #candida #biofilms and #immunology of #Roifman. Granted freedom with a sock. Went on to post-doc at @CUDenver with @HsiehElena. Back in Belgium as Principle Scientist @CaprionBioSci

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29616035/ 

#LabRetrospective for Susann Schönefeldt. Technician driven to succeed, stayed for a Masters on #diabetes #genetics. Later went on to become a clinical research manager back in Germany, before starting a PhD in @MedUni_Wien in Vienna.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26998692/ 

#LabRetrospective: Dr Annemarie van Nieuwenhuijze, bringing an Australian accent to the lab for her post-doc on #microRNA in #arthritis. Followed by incredible success working on #nanobodies at @AblynxNV, she is now Head of Biology at Confo Therapeutics

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28124096/ 

#LabRetrospective: the memorable Ekaterina Sarafanova, the research assistant who became Miss International Belgium before a career in pharmacy.

#LabRetrospective, the energetic Dr John Barber. Dropped by for a quick research project on a break from his MD studies at @UNC, managed to discover two new causes of #neutropenia! (stay tuned, one to be published soon).

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32325141/ 

#LabRetrospective. Talented molecular biologist Anna Lastuvkova. Joined our lab as cloning guru to develop the #MutaMouse core facility at @KU_Leuven for #CrispR editing. Dedicated and hard-working, she moved on to a position @UniofOxford

#LabRetrospective: Aurelie Lenaerts. Masters student on myeloproliferative disease, found a mechanistic link between DC engagement of naive T cells and Flt3 signalling. Went on to the @mpi_ie in Freiburg for her PhD.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30333120/ 

#LabRetrospective, Dr Benedicte Cauwe. Post-doc working on ENU mutagenesis at the dawn of the lab. Memorable, potentially life-saving, identification of EpCAM mutation in #PID patient. Moved to @abbvie, now Market Access Manager at @pfizerbelgie.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24164480/ 

#LabRetrospective - where would we have been without Jeason Haughton! Ran our entire mouse colony, top to bottom, with a smile and a laugh every day. Despite promising to return to Jamaican beaches, he is now in @CBD_VIB coordinating mice for Matthew Holt's lab. Thanks Jeason!

#LabRetrospective. Dr Carly Whyte, successful post-doc @VIBLifeSciences and @BabrahamInst, with amazing results on the #IL2 #cytokine network coming out soon! Wise and thoughtful, a coup for @DamonTumes at @UniversitySA to recruit for her second post-doc!

#LabRetrospective. Dr Carlos Roca brought mathematics and #datascience into the lab. Invented #AutoSpill, revolutionizing #flowcytometry compensation in @FlowJoNow. New statistical tools to analyse #tSNE and #UMAP. Our loss is @AstraZeneca's gain!

https://autospill.vib.be 

#LabRetrospective: The incredible Dr Erika Vannieuwenhove. I just stood back while she powered through her PhD on #PID gene-hunting and #JIA #genetics. Left a huge legacy in the lab and a high bar for all future students!

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29705243/ 

#LabRetrospective for Hanne Juchtmans. Job student in the lab, completed her Bachelor's thesis on #pancreaticcancer and #obesity. Went on to work at @GalapagosGlobal, and now a senior technician on compound screening.

#LabRetrospective. Dr Vasiliki Lagou, quiet achiever and statistical geneticist. Ran our first #GWAS on #immune traits, tracked the #gene for #PAAND and contributed to a dozen more studies. Now a researcher at @sangerinstitute!

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30332657/ 

A #LabRetrospective, for Pier Andrée Penttila. Joined to run our #FACSCore. Passionate about #flowcytometry, competence and straight-talking, she runs every facet of the Core. @KU_Leuven was lucky to keep her as facility manager!

#LabRetrospective for Guiqin Wu. Worked on CD25 and Tregs in her Masters degree with us, moved over to the Switch lab at @CBD_VIB for her PhD on protein aggregation.

In parallel, cofounder of the ICARE Guizhou charity supporting rural students in China http://www.icareguizhou.org 

#LabRetrospective: Dr Dean Franckaert. Inquisitive and skilled during his Masters/PhD on #Treg biology. Meteoric rise through industry since - Future Leaders Program at @GSK, Associate Director at @WorkatMedpace, now Associate Director at @CaprionBioSci

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25533288/ 

#LabRetrospective for the talented Nathalie Heirman. Started as job student, went on to a Masters on pancreatic cancer and glucose. Moved to @Boehringer and @BDBiosciences, before starting with @ViforPharma as Medical Advisor.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32668252/ 

#LabRetrospective for Christelle Nkama. Flow cytometry specialist for us. Learned at incredible speed and willing to take on any responsibility. Later went on to PPD Pharmaceuticals and now a Clinical Research Associate at @Covance

#LabRetrospective: Francisco Naranjo, so good I hired him twice! Super-sleuth on molecular problems, often the one to work out why my "good" ideas didn't work. Now off for a PhD at @UniOslo_MED, would happily hire him a third time as a post-doc!

#LabRetrospective: Dr Aleksandra Brajic. Came in from a cancer perspective at @vib_ccb, she did a post-doc on #lncRNA in #Treg. Now back in the cancer field at @JanssenBelgium

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30319599/ 

#LabRetrospective. Prof Susan Schlenner. Joined as a post-doc, running all things #molecular #immunology in the lab. First alumni to get an independent professorship, Susan is now head of my old lab @KU_Leuven, keeping the legacy thriving

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30552177/ 

#LabRetrospective. Dr Uku Haljasorg, came over during his PhD in the Pärt Peterson lab at @UniTurku for work of his studies on the #thymus. After his PhD he moved to @WeizmannScience for a post-doc.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28108558/ 

#LabRetrospective. Dr Shari Zaman. Job student for 4 years in the lab, organising our clinical database. Went on to her medical degree @UZLeuven. Specialised in emergency medicine, now a hospital doctor at Fundashon Mariada in the Caribbean

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23692804/ 

#LabRetrospective for Madhu Seelam. Masters thesis student who took an early look at #Tcells in the #brain for us. Wonderful scientific writer and literature reviewer. Moved over to @Altran, consulting with @GSK Vaccines, now Regulatory Affairs Specialist at @GSK_careers.

#LabRetrospective: Dr Nadia Jeremiah. Joined as a junior mouse tech, her fear of mice spurred us to move our #PID work to humans! After several years with us, Nadia joined @InstitutImagine in Paris for her PhD on #lupus, now a post-doc at @institut_curie

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21287332/ 

#LabRetrospective for Dr Ward Deboutte. His Masters thesis with us was on molecular control of #Treg biology. Went off to explore his #bioinformatic calling for his PhD. Just completed his thesis at the Rega @KU_Leuven on honey-bee microbiomes!

#LabRetrospective. The cheerful Jayasree Sreenivasan! Worked on understanding the effect of #obesity and #leptin on #thymus biology. Finished ABD, now works as Clinical Research Scientist at Sun Pharma.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26059465/ 

#LabRetrospective for Dr Ine Vanderleyden. Started her PhD on #Tfh homing at @KU_Leuven as joint project with @LintermanLab at @BabrahamInst, moved over to @Cambridge_Uni fully to finish up. Now retraining as a Patent Attorney in London.

#LabRetrospective on Dr Wenson Rajan Karunakaran. Won the #GoldenPipette for his work counting T cells in the brain during his post-doc. Moved to Pandorum Technologies as research scientist on liver organoid cultures.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32702313/ 

#LabRetrospective for Silke Janssens. Joined our #immunophenotying platform and became an expert in #systemsimmunology just in time for the #COVID outbreak. Processed patient samples for @KU_Leuven COVID research community. Now engineer at Act&Sorb

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33209300/ 

#LabRetrospective, for Pradeep Kumar. Dedicated flow cytometry specialist with us, moved to Perth to become Equipment Specialist at the #flowcytometry core in @telethonkids

#LabRetrospective for Katinka van Dongen. She did her Masters thesis with @jldvib on #IL2 and #Tregs, precursor work to our new cytokine network story. Went on to work as a lab technician at @VetmeduniVienna

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.12.18.423431v1

#LabRetrospective. Dr Teresa Prezzemolo. Developed the key #flowcytometry pipeline for our #systemsimmunology research. Large-scale studies being written up now, diverted by a successful analysis of #COVID19. Now joint with Prof Humblet-Baron @KU_Leuven

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33209300/ 

#LabRetrospective for Dr Pierre Lemaitre. A vet by training, Pierre made major contributions to our #neuroimmunology projects, with his large-scale neuroimmune ageing paper in preparation.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32702313/ 

#LabRetrospective. (soon to be) Dr Steffie Junius. Our most recent alumni, Steffie has just finished her PhD on #Treg plasticity. Fascinating implications for Treg #CellTherapy - stayed tuned for the paper! Degree to follow once #lockdown is over!

Just some of the stories from my @CBD_VIB @KU_Leuven alumni! 144 scientists. 67% women. 58% immigrants, coming to Belgium from 37 different countries. Coming in multiple different academic fields. Diversity, innovation, creation, collaboration - this is what our lab looked like!