Our team

Our team, comprising clinicians, biologists, immunologists, biostatisticians, and technicians, focuses on both basic science with a translational angle and studying how to proactively screen for type 1 diabetes risk. With the patient’s goal of prevention and cure at the center, we aim to bridge clinical insights with laboratory research to advance innovative treatments and provide comprehensive care from early detection to treatment.

Chantal Mathieu
Lut Overbergh
Conny Gysemans
Jurgen Vercauteren
  • Professor Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven
  • Project Manager EDENT1FI
Pierre Lemaitre
  • Senior Postdoc Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven
Ylke Bruggeman
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven
Amber Wouters
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven
Laure Degroote
  • PhD student BENE, VUB
Mateson Beya
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven
Jos Laureys
  • Lab technician Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven—expert in mouse models and islet transplantation
Marijke Viaene
  • Lab technician Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven—expert in mouse models and flow cytometry
Marc Packbier
  • Lab technician Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven—expert in molecular biology and histology
Katerina Slavikova
  • Administrative Project Officer INNODIA (HARVEST)
  • Administrative Project Officer EDENT1FI

Alumni

Kristina Casteels
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and its analogues as immunomodulators in autoimmune type 1 diabetes: mechanisms of action and preclinical applications. 20 Apr 1998
  • Current occupation: Staff Pediatrician, UZ Leuven (Belgium); Full Professor, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, Belgium
Conny Gysemans
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: The study of immune-mediated destruction of islets of Langerhans in mouse models of type 1 diabetes. 23 May 2002
  • Junior Postdoc Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: June 2002-September 2006
  • Senior Postdoc Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: October 2006-September 2009
  • Current occupation: Research Manager, Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven, Belgium
Brigitte Decallonne
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: Dysregulation of T lymphocyte apoptosis in the non-obese diabetic mouse, a model for type 1 diabetes. Sep 2003
  • Current occupation: Staff Endocrinologist of the Division Clinical Endocrinology, UZ Leuven (Belgium); Full Professor, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, Belgium
Evelyne Van Etten
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: Analogs of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 as immunomodulators: strategies to improve clinical applicability. 25 Nov 2004
  • Junior Postdoc Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: November 2004-July 2008
  • Current occupation: Departmental Manager, CHROMETA KU Leuven, Belgium
Katinka Stoffels
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: Immune regulation of 1a-hydroxylase in monocytes. 20 Dec 2005
  • Current occupation: unknown
Anna-Paula Giulietti
  • PhD student: Monocytes and macrophages: Emerging role in diabetes and targets for vitamin D. 02 Jun 2006
  • Current occupation: Medical Information Specialist (American company based in London, UK)
Hanne Callewaert
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: Beta-cell death in type 1 diabetes: How can we make stronger beta-cells? 24 Jun 2008
  • Current occupation: CEO and co-founder AstriVax Therapeutics (Heverlee, Belgium)
Gabriela Bomfim Ferreira
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 and its analogues as modulators of dendritic cells. 31 May 2010
  • Junior Postdoc Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: October 2010-September 2013
  • Senior Postdoc Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: October 2013-June 2015
  • Current occupation: Associate Director Global Regulatory Affairs, GSK (Waver, Rixensart, and Gembloux, Belgium)
Wannes D’Hertog
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: Beta-cell death and survival in models for type 1 diabetes: proteomic analysis. 02 Jun 2010
  • Junior Postdoc Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: May 2011-February 2014
  • Current occupation: Lector, Karel de Grote Hogeschool (Mechelen, Belgium)
Michael Maris
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: Molecular mechanisms of beta cell dysfunction and beta cell death in models of type 2 diabetes. 28 Oct 2010
  • Junior Postdoc Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: October 2014–July 2015
  • Current occupation: COO & CFO, Associate Director Anti-Cancer Fund
Femke Baeke
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: Immunomodulatory actions of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 its analogs: focus on T lymphocytes. 05 Jul 2011
  • Current occupation: Medical Affairs Professional, Bristol Myers Squibb (Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium)
Heidi Wolden-Kirk
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: Vitamin D signaling in islets of Langerhans. Implications for type 1 and type 2 diabetes. 11 Jan 2013
  • Current occupation: Manufacturing Engineer, Agilent Technologies (Denmark)
Tatiana Takiishi
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: Novel immunotherapies in type 1 diabetes: exploring antigen-specific and non-specific approaches. 16 Sep 2013
  • Junior Postdoc Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: October 2013 - October 2014
  • Current occupation: unknown
Lei Ding
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: Therapies in type 1 diabetes: Studying the interaction between the beta-cell and the immune system using preclinical models. 27 Jun 2014
  • Current occupation: Private Practice Traditional Chinese Medicine (Berlin, Germany)
Sofie Robert
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: ActoBiotics™ for antigen-specific intervention in type 1 diabetes: mono- or combination therapies. 09 Jul 2014
  • Current occupation: Therapeutic Area Lead Cardiovascular, Bristol Myers Squibb (Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium)
Tom Van Belle
  • Senior Postdoc Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: October 2010–April 2014
  • Current occupation: Independent Biotech Consultant, Belle Biotech Consulting (Ghent, Belgium)
Roman Vangoitsenhoven
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: The role of diet in development and reversal of type 2 diabetes. 06 Jun 2015
  • Current occupation: Staff Endocrinologist of the Division Clinical Endocrinology, UZ Leuven (Belgium); Part-time Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, Belgium
Dieter Rondas
  • Senior Postdoc Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: April 2012–September 2015
  • Current occupation: Project Manager, Clinical Trial Coordination, CellCarta (former HistoGeneX, Antwerp, Belgium)
João Paulo Monteiro Carvalho Mori Cunha
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: Support beta-cell function for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. 22 Dec 2016
  • Current occupation: Associated Principal Scientist, Veterinarian in animal Science and Technology, AstraZeneca (Mölndal, Sweden)
Hannelie Korf
  • Senior Postdoc Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: May 2009-June 2017
  • Current occupation: Research Manager, Hepatology Research Unit, KU Leuven, Belgium
Inne Crévecoeur
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: Interaction between the beta-cell and the immune system in type 1 diabetes: role for post-translational modifications. 21 Feb 2017
  • Current occupation: Clinical Assessor Vaccines, Federal Agencyfor Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP, FAGG, and AFMPS) Belgium
An-Sofie Vanherwegen
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: Molecular and intracellular actions of vitamin D in the immune system: Implications for translation. 27 September 2018
  • Current occupation: Scientific Contract Officer, LRD KU Leuven, Belgium
Giuliana Ventriglia
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: Assessing the relevance of a target organ-specific microRNA signature in type 1 diabetes. 20 April 2018
  • Current occupation: Senior Clinical Scientist, Roche (Basel, Switzerland)
Dana Cook
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: A novel Lactococcus lactis-based antigen-specific platform for the treatment of type 1 diabetes: Essential steps towards successful clinical translation. 06 Dec 2019
  • Current occupation: Medical Affairs Manager Oncology, AstraZeneca (Dilbeek, Belgium)
Saurabh Vig
  • Junior Postdoc Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: September 2015–July 2019.
  • Current occupation: looking for new opportunity
Mijke Buitinga
  • Senior Postdoc Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: August 2017–September 2020
  • Current occupation: Assistant Professor (University of Maastricht, the Netherlands)
Fernanda Sodré
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: The role of the post-translational modification citrullination in type 1 diabetes. 29 Jun 2021
  • Current occupation: postdoc DNA Repair Lab (University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil)
Marjolein (Maria) Kracht
  • Junior Postdoc Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: July 2019–July 2021
  • Current occupation: Scientist Process Development, CellPoint (Oestgeest, The Netherlands)
Aisha Callebaut
  • PhD student: The role of deamidation as a post-translational modification in type 1 diabetes. 01 Jul 2022
  • Current occupation: Postdoc, Benaroya Research Institute (Seattle, US)
Pieter-Jan Martens
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: Novel immunotherapies to prevent or arrest type 1 diabetes. 31 May 2023
  • Current occupation: Endocrinology Resident ofthe Division Clinical Endocrinology, UZ Leuven (Belgium)
Darcy Ellis
  • Junior Postdoc Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven, September 2021-May 2023
  • Current occupation: unknown
Samal Bissenova
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: Neutrophils: a driving force in type 1 diabetes? 13 Nov 2023
  • Current occupation: Investigation Expert, Legend Biotech (Antwerp, Belgium)
Gabriele Sassi
  • PhD student Leuven Diabetes Lab, KU Leuven: Multi-omics technologies to identify biomarkers for therapy prediction and response in type 1 diabetes. 07 Nov 2023
  • Current occupation: Biomarker Computational Scientist, Haya Therapeutics (Lausanne, Switzerland)

Support us

Choose to make a direct impact by contributing to a specific research project or by supporting the overarching goals of the Hippo & Friends Type 1 Diabetes Fund. 

By donating today, you enable early-career scientists to pursue groundbreaking research aimed at preventing and curing type 1 diabetes.
Every contribution moves us one step closer to breakthroughs that matter.

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