From CRISPR screens to breakthrough: Bert defends PhD
Time to celebrate! Our dear colleague and friend Bert Kwanten successfully defended his PhD. In his thesis, he used CRISPR−Cas9 screening to identify genes that influence the response to the cancer drug selinexor, which targets XPO1. The results of these screens laid the foundation for uncovering a novel allosteric mechanism by which selinexor mediates targeted […]
DD Lab Team Building: A Great Day of Curling, Axe Throwing and Fresh Pizza
What happens when the DD lab steps out of the work environment? A day full of laughter, challenges, and great company. During our annual team-building event, we tried curling on the ice, unleashed our inner warriors with axe throwing, and even took a refreshing dip in the swimming pond. We wrapped up the day by […]
Glioblastoma research presented at the 17th International Oncolytic Virus Conference
Our PhD student Tine Deconinck attended the 17th International Oncolytic Virus Conference, held at the iconic Harpa Conference Center in Reykjavik, Iceland. During the conference, Tine presented her research on the comparative evaluation of a large panel of oncolytic viruses in glioblastoma. Her work revealed distinct preferences of different oncolytic viruses among glioblastoma subtypes, highlighting […]
A new PhD student joins our lab
In July 2025, Talia Davids completed her Master’s degree in Biology at KU Leuven. After writing her MSc thesis on fungal infections in the laboratory of Prof. Patrick Van Dijck, she is now shifting to cancer research in our lab. Her PhD project will center on the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT) pathway and aims […]
Yannick presents at BELVIR 2025
We are proud to highlight that Yannick Aerts recently presented his research at the 13th Annual BELVIR Symposium, titled “Identification of eIF3h as an essential proviral host factor for henipaviruses via genome-wide CRISPR knockout screening.” This event provided a valuable platform to discuss ongoing work, exchange ideas with fellow researchers, and receive insightful feedback from […]