Jan Van Den Abbeele

Jan Van Den Abbeele is a Full Professor and Unit Head of the Trypanosoma Unit at the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM), Belgium. He also serves as Guest Professor at Ghent University (2013-2016). His roles include coordinating the Group Protozoa in the BMS department, vice-chair of the Institutional Ethics Board, and member of the ITM Policy Commission Research.

Educated at the University of Antwerp (PhD in Biological Sciences, 2001), his research focuses on African trypanosomes, particularly Trypanosoma brucei and T. congolense. Key areas include parasite development in tsetse flies, immune responses, drug resistance mechanisms, and diagnostic tool development. In 2021, his unit became a WHO Collaborating Centre for Human African Trypanosomiasis.

Research highlights include the ERC-funded NANOSYM project (2011) exploring symbiotic bacteria as delivery systems for anti-trypanosome nanobodies. Current projects address trypanosome survival mechanisms, host immune interactions, and genetic modification of symbiotic bacteria (paratransgenesis).

Recent publications (2022-2025) emphasize flagellar biology, surface protein roles, and metabolic adaptations influencing human infectivity. Awards include the ERC Grant and WHO designation. His work spans 22 active research projects and 112 publications, with collaborations in Africa and Europe.