Ghislain Opdenakker#
| Membership Number: | 6631 |
| Membership type: | ORDINARY |
| Section: | CLINICAL & VETERINARY SCIENCE |
| Elected: | 2023 |
| Main Country of Residence: | BELGIUM |
| Homepage(s): | https://rega.kuleuven.be/ |
| ORCID: | 0000-0003-1714-2294 |
Present and Previous Positions
- 2021 - present Professor Emeritus in service at the Rega Institute for Medical Research at KU Leuven, Belgium; Chairman of Commission for Internationalization of the Royal Academy of Medicine, Brussels, Belgium; Member-elect of the Corporation in the Class A of the Belgian American Educational Foundation (BAEF under the Directorship of Prof. Dr. Emile Boulpaep), New Haven, CT USA; and SCR Exeter College, University of Oxford, UK
- 2019 - 2022 Member-elect of the Board of Directors of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium (KAGB), Brussels, Belgium
- 2014 - 2021 Chairman-elect of the Board of Directors of the Rega Institute for Medical Research at KU Leuven, Belgium
- 2006 - 2011 Head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leuven, KU Leuven, Belgium
- 1998 - 2021 Professor Ordinarius (Immunology), Faculty of Medicine, Universities of Leuven & Kortrijk, Belgium
- 1992 - 2017 Visiting Professor, Glycobiology Institute (with Prof. Raymond A. Dwek) & Member of the Senior Common Room, (SCR) Exeter College, University of Oxford, UK
- 1993 - 2001 Professor of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Limburgs Universitair Centrum, Diepenbeek, Belgium
- 1987 - 1993 MD, PhD, Senior Research Associate NFWO at the Rega Institute (with Prof. Dr. Alfons Billiau), Leuven, Belgium
- 1986 - 1987 Postdoctoral associate at Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven CT, U.S.A. Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry (with Prof. Peter Lengyel)
- 1981 - 1986 MD & Research Assistant of the National Fund for Scientific Research, Belgium (NFWO) at the Rega Institute, Belgium
Fields of Scholarship
- Cloning and gene analysis of proteases, cytokines and chemokines
- Pathophysiology and molecular medicine of autoimmunity and cancer
- Mechanisms of disease
- Molecular Biology technology
- Introduced glycobiology education
- Analysis of the structures and functions of proteinases
Honours and Awards
- 2023 Member-elect of Academia Europaea
- 2022 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- 2019 Honorary Professor of King Saud University, Ryiadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- 2018 Medal of Merit of the Research Foundation of Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen), for contributions as Vice-Chair and Chair of the Commission for International Collaborations (CIS), Brussels, Belgium
- 2011 Medal of Merit, National Fund for Scientific Research of Belgium (NFWO and FNRS) for contributions to the Flemish and French Commissions for Microbiology and Immunology, Brussels, Belgium
- 2010 International Fellow-elect of the Royal College of Physicians, London, UK, (FRCP), for organizational functions within the International Jenner Conferences form the Royal Society of Medicine, London, UK.
- 2009 Gold Medal of King Saud University (KSU), presented by the Vice-Chancellor in recognition for establishing basic research exchange programs between KSU and KU Leuven and the Rega Institute, Ryiadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- 2006 “Cross of Commander in the Order of King Leopold” National Order of Merit for contributions to the Royal Academy of Medicine, Belgium
- 2002 Member-elect of the Royal Academy of Medicine, Belgium
- 2002 Sidmar Prize in Medicine, Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium, together with Prof. Dr. J. Van Damme, 2002 “For the study of Chemokines in Cancer.”
- 1998 Charcot Prize for Research on Multiple Sclerosis, together with Prof. Dr. H. Carton, "for Basic Research about Proteases in Multiple Sclerosis.”, The Charcot Foundation, Brussels, Belgium
- 1991 Quadrennial "Rik and Nel Wouters Prize for Cancer Research", together with Prof. Dr. J. Van Damme: "Cytokines and Chemokines in Cancer Cell Growth and Invasion", The Rik and Nel Wouters Foundation, Brussels, Belgium
- 1989 Merck Sharp & Dohme Award for Medical Research (National Fund for Scientific Research), together with Prof. Dr. J. Van Damme, "for Cytokine Research, in particular the discoveries of interleukin-1, interleukin-6 and interleukin-8/CXCL8."
- 1988 Quinquennial Alumni Prize in Medicine, The Universities’ Foundation, Brussels, Belgium, 1988: “For Cloning and Expression Regulation of Tissue-type Plasminogen Activator.”
