The University of Namur enthusiastically welcomes Thomas Balligand, who recently joined its ranks as a lecturer. Graduating in medicine from UCLouvain in 2012, Thomas first proved himself as an assistant in internal medicine at the Grand Hôpital de Charleroi, where he was able to progress in several specialties such as cardiology, gastroenterology and pneumology. His career path also took him to CHU Saint-Luc, where he deepened his knowledge of nephrology.
Throughout his career, Thomas has developed a keen interest in research. His academic career began when he became a research student in Prof. Emile Van Schaftingen's laboratory at the Institut de Duve, an opportunity offered to medical students at UCLouvain to introduce them to basic research. This experience was decisive for him, as it made him realize later on that clinical practice was not entirely in line with his aspirations. He then decided to devote himself to a thesis in basic research, working under Prof. Stefan Constantinescu at the de Duve Institute to explore signaling pathways in hematopoiesis, with a particular focus on myeloproliferative syndromes.
From 2015 to 2019, Thomas was a 100% Télévie-funded researcher, which enabled him to immerse himself deeply in his research work. At the end of his PhD, he had the choice of continuing his medical assistantship or embarking on a career as a post-doctoral researcher. He opted for research, continuing his path at Harvard in 2020, where he worked on nanobodies with applications in applied biology. This experience led to concrete results, illustrated by a collaborative article with his colleague Xin Lui, showing how nanobodies binding to circulating immunoglobulin light chains enabled the development of a treatment for influenza. He has thus contributed to the creation of universal antiviral coverage, capable of tackling all flu variants, not just seasonal strains.
In parallel, Thomas also explored the use of lectins to target virus-infected cells or cancer cells, underlining his interest in the potential therapeutic applications of his research. In 2024, he joined UNamur as a lecturer, replacing Yves Poumay, where he passes on his knowledge of histology and cytology while continuing his fundamental research work.
"I'm passionate about awakening scientific curiosity in young people. I've already been able to mentor several students in Boston, PhD students and memoranda students. I appreciate the role of mentor", explains Thomas Balligand. At UNamur, he is forging collaborations with colleagues Stéphane Vincent, Yoann Wouters and Xavier De Bolle, and benefits from CDR funding for his projects.
he will soon set up his own research group within the Molecular Physiology Research Unit (URPhyM, NARILIS, UNamur).
His ambition is to work on the glycosylation phenomena of transmembrane proteins, in particular to target cancerous or virus-infected cells through his research on lectins, as well as the use of nanobodies in the field of immunotherapy. With his expertise and passion for research, Thomas Balligand is well positioned to advance research at UNamur while inspiring the next generation of scientists.
