Description

The immune system depends on tightly regulated metabolic programs to maintain the balance between activation and tolerance. In cancer and chronic inflammation, immune cells often face metabolic restrictions, while in the gut, microbial metabolites influence immune regulation and tolerance.
In this context, the FNRS and FNR funded projects will explore how metabolic pathways control T cell function and differentiation. Through a fully automated high-throughput screening platform, we have identified novel metabolic targets that appear critical for anti-tumor immunity. One PhD project will dissect how these targets modulate T cell activation, mitochondrial function, and metabolic fitness, using a combination of in vitro and in vivo approaches.
A second project will focus on microbial metabolites that shape regulatory T cell (Treg) function and immune homeostasis, with the opportunity to participate in the screening process itself, aiming to identify bioactive microbial metabolites and link them to their microbial origins and immune functions.


Both PhD projects integrate metabolic, immunological, and translational approaches to discover new immunometabolic mechanisms that can be harnessed to improve immune therapies in cancer and inflammatory diseases.