Savvas Savvides

Savvas Savvides is a Professor of Structural Biology at Ghent University and VIB Group Leader since 2015. His lab focuses on integrative structural biology to elucidate mechanisms of macromolecular complexes in inflammation, immunity, and cancer. He holds a PhD from Cornell University (2000) and conducted postdoctoral research at Washington University School of Medicine (2000-2002). His research collaborations span academic and industrial partners, including Surface Oncology. Key topics include pro-inflammatory signaling, oncogenic receptor tyrosine kinases, and in vivo protein crystals. The lab employs cryo-EM, X-ray scattering, and cellular assays to study protein assemblies and their therapeutic potential.

Education: PhD in Structural Biology (Cornell, 2000); Postdoc at Washington University (2000-2002); EMBO Fellowship at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (2002-2004).

Research interests: Structural biology of cytokines, receptor activation mechanisms, and oncogenic signaling pathways. Recent studies include IL-27 heterodimer structure (Cell Reports, 2023) and ALK-cytokine assemblies (PLOS Biology, 2025).

Lab Team: Includes PhD students (Alba Sanz Sanjuan, Lisse Thierens, etc.), postdocs, and technical staff. Located in the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (Technologiepark 71, Zwijnaarde).