About the ULB Center for Research in Immunology (U-CRI)

Research Axis:

Molecular Immunology : With a particular emphasis on innate immune cells and T lymphocytes, these projects involve state-of-the art approaches in molecular biology, flow cytometry and imaging to study transcriptional, post-transcriptional and epigenetic processes.

Pre-clinical Immunology : It involves the development of mouse models for human pathologies or therapeutic interventions. Several projects rely on implantable/genetic tumor models, infections and vaccination protocols or chronic inflammation. The animal facilities from the BIOPARK campus include a specific pathogen-free structure and several units dedicated to experimentation and infectious pathogens.

Human and translational Immunology : Research teams involved in human immunology are mainly located in the HEALTH POLE. It involves projects in vaccinology, infectious diseases, hematology and cancerology that rely on strong collaborative networks with clinicians.

Latest news

Two New PhDs in Early-Life Immunity

July 17th 2026 - 09:24

A huge congratulations to Audrey FRAIKIN and Jeanne PAUWELS from the Véronique Flamand team on brilliantly defending their PhD theses, entitled "Investigation of antibody-mediated protection against Influenza A virus in a neonatal model " and « Maternal imprinting of the neonatal immune system through IgG transfer and microbial regulation», respectively. Their research brings exciting new insights into how maternal antibodies and the maternal microbiota shape the newborn immune system and confer protection against viral infection during the earliest stages of life. We wish them both every...

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New publication: usage of multiple diversity genes in the delta chain of the TCR

June 29th 2026 - 15:28

In the canonical model of VDJ recombination, a single diversity (D) gene is incorporated into the complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) to generate a T cell receptor δ (TCRδ; TRD) or TCRβ (TRB) chain. In a new publication in The Journal of Immunology , Moosa Rezwani, from the team of David Vermijlen, and colleagues show that this model does not fully capture TCRδ biology: by analysing more than 2.7 million TRD CDR3 sequences across six mammalian species, they reveal that incorporation of more than one D gene in the same CDR3 is strikingly frequent and evolutionarily conserved in...

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8th Annual Research Day on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy OCTOBER 16

June 15th 2026 - 17:09

Dear all,

The 8th Research Day in Tumor Immunology & Immunotherapy will take place on October 16, 2026, at the Irish College Leuven.
This annual event brings together researchers and clinicians to share and discuss the latest advances in tumor immunology and immunotherapy.

We are pleased to announce this year's keynote speakers:
• Dr. Eliane Piaggio (Inserm, Paris)
• Prof. Tanja de Gruijl (UMC Amsterdam)
• Dr. Mate Kiss (Georg-Speyer-Haus, Frankfurt am Main)

Participants are warmly invited to register and present their research to a broad audience, fostering exchange of ideas and stimulating...

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New article in EMBO Mol Med: Targeting neutrophils in squamous lung Carcinoma

May 07th 2026 - 08:54

Tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) constitute a major fraction of the immune compartment in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and are increasingly considered as a novel therapeutic candidate. Previous work from the Meylan team demonstrated that TANs up-regulate Bcl-xL to enhance their lifespan in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) which, when targeted using a BH3 mimetic, reduces tumor growth thus characterising these TANs as pro-tumoral. Now, a new study by Abdullah Mayet from the same team shows a similar mechanism of TAN survival in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC). However, unlike LUAD,...

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New publication: Human gamma delta T cells in humanized mice

March 02nd 2026 - 18:34

A new joint publication by Céline La from the teams of David Vermijlen and Stanislas Goriely (Cell Reports, 2026) reveals a major advance in modeling human γδ T cell biology. Using humanized NBSGW mice reconstituted with human fetal liver CD34⁺ cells, the authors successfully recreated in vivo the ontogeny, TCR repertoire, and functional programming of human γδ T cells—including the human-specific, phosphoantigen‑reactive Vγ9Vδ2 subset, absent in mice. This work establishes a robust platform for the study of human γδ T cell development and for the preclinical evaluation γδ T...

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7th Research Day on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy program

September 26th 2025 - 09:57

Don't miss Aurélie, Panagiotis, Solange and Abdullah who have been selected for oral presentation!

Stil time to register (open until October 1)

08h30 – 09h30 Registration and Coffee
09h30 – 09h40 Welcome and Introduction
Prof. Dr. An Coosemans, KU Leuven – Belgium
09h40 – 10h25 Macrophage Subsets In Tumor Immunity
Prof. Julie Helft, INSERM - Paris - France
10h25 – 11h10 Selected Abstracts: Jolien Van Craenenbroeck, Karo Van Lil, Aurélie Detavernier
Chair: Prof. Evelien Smits, U Antwerp – Belgium
11h10 – 11h20 LiveDrop-Bio: The ModaFlow™, a microfluidic instrument for high-throughput...

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ANNUAL BIS MEETING

September 23rd 2025 - 16:59

Date: Tuesday November 18th 2025

Venue: Palais des Congrès de Liège, Esplanade de l'Europe, 4020 Liège/Luik/LuHch

08:30 – Welcome and RegistraNon

Plenary Session 1: Mucosal Immunology and InfecNon (09:30–10:45)
- 09:30–10:05 | Keynote: Yasmine Belkaid (Title TBD) (30 min + 5 Q&A)
- 10:05–10:20 | Invited Belgian speaker (TBD, 12 + 3 Q&A)
- 10:20–10:45 | Talk selected from the abstracts (12 + 3 Q&A)

10:45–11:15 – Coffee Break

Plenary Session 2: Neuroimmunology and InflammaNon (11:15–12:30)
- 11:15–11:45 | Yvonne Dombrowski (Title TBD) (25 + 5 Q&A)
- 11:45–12:00 | Invited Belgian...

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Uncovering Cellular Factors Driving Success or Failure of Immunotherapy

September 16th 2025 - 15:49

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed cancer treatment, yet many patients fail to respond. To investigate why, Jelena Gabrilo and colleagues from the lab of immunobiology used a preclinical model in which only part of the mice respond to anti-PD-1 therapy, enabling direct comparison between responding and non-responding settings.
This study, published in Cancer Immunology Research showed that tumors responding to treatment were enriched in tumor-reactive CD8⁺ T-cell clones expressing high levels of Tim-3, suggesting these cells are key drivers of the anti-tumor response. They...

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When inflammation protects the gut

April 02nd 2025 - 09:41

Tristetraprolin (TTP) is an RNA-binding protein that plays a major role in the control of inflammation. TTP KO mice spontaneously develop a complex multi-organ inflammatory syndrome but no overt intestinal inflammation, suggesting the involvement of local regulatory mechanisms. In this study published in the European J of Immunology and led by Bérengère de Toeuf and Maxime Melchior in the team of Stanislas Goriely, the researchers observed local expansion of IL-22-producing type 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) in the lamina propria of TTP KO mice. They show that these mice were...

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New publication in Gut microbes on the dynamic connection between the maternal microbiome and the offspring immunity

January 06th 2025 - 15:27

Influenza virus causes a significant threat to neonatal health characterized by a less robust anti-viral adaptive CD8 T-cell response. In this publication, researchers from the group of Véronique Flamand (IMI) uncovered how maternal probiotic supplementation during pregnancy and lactation empowers neonatal immunity. By enhancing the development and protective function of effector and memory CD8 T cells, probiotics offer robust defense against influenza virus in offspring. Furthermore, in collaboration with the team of Amandine Everard (UCLouvain), they showed profound changes in the...

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