Karine Breckpot

Karine Breckpot embarked on her career in medical research in 1998 at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) after completing her studies in Biomedical Sciences at the same institution. Her research has primarily focused on developing innovative immunotherapy-based strategies to combat cancer. During her IWT-funded doctoral studies (1998–2004), she explored various technologies, including mRNA and lentiviral vectors, to manipulate dendritic cell biology and the signals that drive T-cell activation. She continued to expand on this work during her FWO-funded postdoctoral research (2005–2014), incorporating advanced techniques such as RNA interference, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and the application of nanobodies. Part of her postdoctoral research was conducted at the Division of Infection and Immunity at University College London (2009–2010). Since then, she has further refined these technologies to address the challenges posed by the suppressive tumor microenvironment.

In 2010, Karine Breckpot was appointed assistant-professor at VUB and achieved tenure track professorship in 2014. Upon receiving full professorship in 2019, she succeeded Prof. Em. Kris Thielemans as the head of the LMCT research group. She also assumed responsibility as the course leader for “Immunology” and “Manipulation of the Immune System” in the biomedical bachelor’s and master’s program. Beyond her academic responsibilities, she has played an active role in several key committees, both within and outside the university, including serving as vice-chair of the Ethical Committee for the Use of Laboratory Animals, a member of the Committee for Biomedical Sciences, the Biosafety Committee, and the University Advisory Board, as well as participating in numerous review panels such as those for ERC, FNRS, and FWO.

In 2024, Karine Breckpot was promoted and elected as Director of Research at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy. In this role, she transitioned from being a member of the University Medical Center Research Board to chairing this board, driving research excellence and fostering a vibrant research community at the Brussels Health Campus.