Thessa Laeremans
Biography
Short overview of academic career
- Graduated as a Biomedical Scientist (Basic and Translational Research) at KU Leuven in 2017
- PhD student at NAVI since October 2018 under supervision of prof. Joeri Aerts
- Co-promoter prof. Sabine Allard (UZ Brussel) and prof. Guido Vanham (Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp)
To date, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection can be controlled by life-long antiretroviral therapy (cART) but cannot be eradicated from the body due to integration of virus into the host’s DNA in long-lived immune cells, forming a so-called viral reservoir. The majority of these reservoir cells are in a latent state meaning that they lack antigen presentation making recognition by the host’s immune system difficult. Two main types of killer cells have been described: cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) which depend on antigen presentation for their function, and natural killer (NK) cells, which operate in an antigen-independent fashion and without prior sensitization. Therefore, the aim of this project is to investigate whether NK cells play a key role in the control of the HIV reservoir.
Using my expertise in NK cell biology and regulation, I am also investigating the role of NK cells in oncolytic virus (OV) mediated cell death and DC activation. In this way we want to learn more about the interactions between OV and the immune system and hope to identify new treatment modalities for cancer.
Location
Laarbeeklaan 103
1090 Jette
Belgium