Belgian Immunological Society

News and Events

  • BIS Thesis Award 2026

    BIS Thesis Award 2026

    This year, the prize for the best thesis was awarded to Joseph Jorssen (ULiège) for his PhD thesis “Characterization of eosinophil development and lineage expansion through transcriptomic and high-dimension flow cytometric approaches”. Summary of the thesisEosinophils are specialized granulocytes known for their diagnostic value in type 2 immune disorders as well as their roles in immune homeostasis, microbial defense and metabolism. Despite the increasing… Read more

  • Save the Date: The Next Wave of Immunology is Coming to Brussels

    Save the Date: The Next Wave of Immunology is Coming to Brussels

    Mark your calendars — on December 1st, 2026, the Belgian Immunological Society (BIS) and GSK are joining forces once again for a symposium exploring where immunology is headed next. The Next Wave of Immunology will take place at The Square – Brussels Convention Centre, bringing together researchers, clinicians, and industry experts for a day dedicated… Read more

  • Save the date for Neuroimmunology 2026!

    Save the date for Neuroimmunology 2026!

    We’re pleased to invite you to the Neuroimmunology conference which will take place on 19-20 November 2026 in Antwerp, Belgium and is organized by VIB, a leading life sciences research institute in Flanders. 20 key scientists from academia will present their latest insights in sessions focusing on the following topics:– Innate immunity in CNS health & disease– Barrier… Read more

  • EMDS 2026 – 39th European Macrophage & Dendritic Cell Society meeting

    EMDS 2026 – 39th European Macrophage & Dendritic Cell Society meeting

    We are thrilled to invite you to the 39th edition of the European Macrophage and Dendritic Cell Society (EMDS) Meeting, taking place in the vibrant city of Amsterdam in 2026! This annual gathering is the premier event for leading scientists passionate about macrophage and dendritic cell biology. Join a Thriving Scientific Community EMDS 2026 will… Read more

  • BIS Member Paper Higlight: Epigenomic preconditioning of peripheral monocytes determines their transcriptional response to the tumor microenvironment, Genome Med, 2025.

    BIS Member Paper Higlight: Epigenomic preconditioning of peripheral monocytes determines their transcriptional response to the tumor microenvironment, Genome Med, 2025.

    Abstract. Monocytes are recruited to tumors and undergo transcriptional reprogramming resulting in tumor-promoting functions. It remains unknown whether systemic tumor-derived signals could alter the epigenomic landscape of peripheral monocytes before they reach the tumor, thus shaping their subsequent response to the tumor microenvironment. Here, we performed genome-wide analyses of multiple histone modifications (H3K4me1, H3K4me3, H3K27ac)… Read more

  • BIS Member Paper Higlight: Depleting IL1R2+ Tumor-Infiltrating Regulatory T Cells with an ADCC-Prone Nanobody Construct Boosts the Efficacy of Anti-PD1 Immunotherapy, Arnouk et a., Cancer Res 2025

    BIS Member Paper Higlight: Depleting IL1R2+ Tumor-Infiltrating Regulatory T Cells with an ADCC-Prone Nanobody Construct Boosts the Efficacy of Anti-PD1 Immunotherapy, Arnouk et a., Cancer Res 2025

    Abstract. Eliminating immunosuppressive cells, such as regulatory T cells (Tregs), is a promising approach to boost immunotherapy success. However, this approach may suffer from systemic auto-immune adverse events, highlighting the need to specifically target tumor-infiltrating (ti)Tregs. We identified IL1R2 as a surface marker that was most highly expressed by activated and strongly T-cell suppressive tiTregs… Read more