Pierre Van Cutsem

Pierre Van Cutsem is a Professor at the University of Namur, specializing in plant pathology and biocontrol mechanisms. He leads interdisciplinary research projects focused on plant defense activation, including BACTOFIGHT, PATHOFLAX, and SMARTBOX.

Research interests: Plant-pathogen interactions, elicitor-induced defense responses, transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling, redox homeostasis modulation, and sustainable agricultural practices. His work spans molecular biology, biochemistry, and plant physiology, with applications in flax, tomato, rice, and potato crops.

Recent publications explore systemic immune activation in flax, rice, and potato through COS-OGA elicitation, fatty acid hydroperoxides, and transcriptomic/metabolomic analyses. Key areas include phenylpropanoid pathway stimulation, pathogen resistance, and chloroplast dynamics.

Activities: Frequent participation in conferences and workshops on plant pathology, apoplast function, and European R&D programs. Supervises extensive research output (93 publications) and collaborative projects (36) across Belgium and international networks.