Damya Laoui

Damya Laoui is a Professor and VIB Group Leader at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), leading the Laboratory of Dendritic Cell Biology and Cancer Immunotherapy within the VIB-VUB Center for Inflammation Research. She holds a PhD in Bio-Engineering Sciences from VUB (2014) and completed a postdoc at the ISREC Institute, EPFL (Switzerland). Her research focuses on tumor-immunology, particularly leveraging dendritic cell heterogeneity to develop novel cancer therapies. She has pioneered studies on immune cell roles in tumor progression and personalized immunotherapies.

Key achievements include identifying tumor-derived dendritic cell subpopulations as therapeutic targets and advancing vaccination strategies against cancer. Her work integrates cutting-edge techniques like single-cell RNA-seq and spatial transcriptomics. Funding sources include Kom op tegen kanker, Stichting tegen kanker, FWO, and the VUB-Yamina Krossa Foundation. She has mentored multiple PhD students and fosters science communication, encouraging STEM careers for women.

• Education:
  • PhD in Bio-Engineering Sciences, VUB (2014)
  • Postdoc, ISREC Institute, EPFL (2014–2020)
• Research Interests:
  • Cancer Immunotherapy
  • Tumor Microenvironment
  • Dendritic Cell Biology
  • Immune Cell Dynamics
  • Personalized Immunotherapy
• Awards:
  • Dunia Award (2017)
  • MIT Innovator under 35 Europe (2017)
  • New Scientist Award (2018)
  • Ignace Vanderschueren Prize (2019)
  • Collen-Francqui Startup-Chair (2020)
• Grants/Advising:
  • Funded by Kom op tegen kanker, Stichting tegen kanker, FWO
  • Supervised PhD students in immunology and oncology
• Labs/Teams:
  • Laboratory of Dendritic Cell Biology and Cancer Immunotherapy (VUB)
  • Collaborations with VIB research centers and international institutes