Lab Members
Panagiotis (Panos) Ntziachristos
(full professor & Principal Investigator)
(full professor & Principal Investigator)
Tim Pieters (Senior Research Specialist)
Jolien Van Laere (Lab manager)
Since I obtained my bachelor in pharmaceutical and biological laboratory technology in 2014, I have been working at Ghent University in the cancer research field. It’s a pleasure to work towards a better understanding of the development of cancer in such a high-tech environment. In 2022, I joined the Ntziachristos lab, and I really look forward to expand my knowledge in the field of T-ALL.
Since I obtained my bachelor in pharmaceutical and biological laboratory technology in 2014, I have been working at Ghent University in the cancer research field. It’s a pleasure to work towards a better understanding of the development of cancer in such a high-tech environment. In 2022, I joined the Ntziachristos lab, and I really look forward to expand my knowledge in the field of T-ALL.
Manou Wittouck (Lab manager)
My name is Manou Wittouck. Ever since high school, I have had a strong interest in science. After getting my bachelor's degree in Biotechnology, I wanted to work in research and joined the Ntziachristos’ laboratory. Here, I hope to contribute to leukemia research and help my colleagues as a lab technician. Besides lab work, I enjoy running and spending time with friends and family. |
Kevin Xu (Graduate student)
I work at AstraZeneca as a scientist supporting immune-Oncology and Hematology projects. I specialized in molecular and therapeutic experiments that elucidated the role of important regulatory molecules and signaling pathways involved in tumor initiation, progression and relapse using cellular and PDX models. Prior to AZ, I worked in Dr. Adolfo Ferrando’s lab at Columbia University Medical Center focused on the research in the molecular pathogenesis of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. I am ecstatic to join the Ntziachristos lab to investigate critical non-genetic mechanisms that contribute to tumor oncogenesis. My aspiration is to continue contribute to the fight against cancer and share my learning and expertise with the lab. Outside of work, I am an avid explorer and skier that loves to taste local microbrews. |
Jonas De Kesel (Postdoctoral Researcher)
My name is Jonas De Kesel. End 2021, I finished my PhD studies at the faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University. Years before, I graduated at that very same faculty as a Master of Science in Biomedical Biotechnology. From 2022 onwards, I am investigating the effect of protein (de-)ubiquitination on the splicing landscape in leukemia. Working towards translational outcomes that, at some point, may really affect people’s health, has always been my ambition. I hope that in the coming years I can contribute to the alike aims of the Ntziachristos Lab. Apart from a scientist, I am an amateur of old school vinyl records and like to spend quite some time on my race bike.
My name is Jonas De Kesel. End 2021, I finished my PhD studies at the faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University. Years before, I graduated at that very same faculty as a Master of Science in Biomedical Biotechnology. From 2022 onwards, I am investigating the effect of protein (de-)ubiquitination on the splicing landscape in leukemia. Working towards translational outcomes that, at some point, may really affect people’s health, has always been my ambition. I hope that in the coming years I can contribute to the alike aims of the Ntziachristos Lab. Apart from a scientist, I am an amateur of old school vinyl records and like to spend quite some time on my race bike.
Igor Fijalkowski (Postdoctoral Researcher)
I'm Igor Fijalkowski. I obtained my PhD in 2016 at the Center of Medical Genetics in Antwerp, where I studied rare bone diseases and worked towards transforming the acquired knowledge into novel treatment strategies for osteoporosis, a disease growing in relevance in aging societies. Since then, I worked as a postdoc in the VIB Center of Medical Biotechnology, the UGent Laboratory of Microbiology and at the University of Heidelberg. My postdoctoral research focused on multi-omics integration, where I utilized transcriptomics, translatomics and proteomics to investigate the mechanisms of translation and to search for novel genomic elements in the unexplored genomic dark matter. I'm excited to join the Ntziachristos lab and apply my bioinformatic and omics experience to better our understanding of the splicing dysregulation in leukemia. After work, I'm a dad of two boys interested in IT, martial arts and all things nerdy. |
Kasper Thorhauge Christensen (Postdoctoral Researcher)
After obtaining my bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Aarhus in Denmark working in the fields of immunology and structural biology, I moved to Belgium for my doctorate. Here I studied sequencing of full genomes of hypervariable viruses and performed a phylogenetic study on the hepatitis C virus epidemic in Flanders. To this end, my research has focused on next-generation sequencing, immunology, and bioinformatics. Here, at the Ntziachristos lab I am working on the impact of alternative splicing on large biochemical complexes in acute leukemia. I otherwise keep myself busy by baking as well as playing both music and all manner of games. |
Laura Guerrero (Postdoctoral Researcher)
I am Laura Guerrero, a Spanish postdoctoral researcher. I completed my PhD in Molecular Biosciences at the Autonomous University of Madrid in 2023. During my doctoral studies, my research focused on the application of mass spectrometry-based proteomics to study the progression of liver pathologies, including cirrhosis, liver cancer and rare liver diseases. I look forward to applying my knowledge of proteomics and cancer biology in Ntziachristos' lab to better understand the molecular processes occurring during leukemia progression. Aside from my passion for science, I enjoy spending time with my dogs and pursuing my favorite hobbies: Music and sports. |
Alumni
Bijal Thakkar (Postdoctoral Fellow). Next position: Bioinformatics analyst, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Cuijuan Han (Postdoctoral Fellow). Next position: Postdoctoral Fellow, The Jackson Laboratory Qi Jin (Postdoctoral Fellow). Next position: Postdoctoral Fellow, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Limin Sun (Lab manager). Next position: Lab manager, Northwestern University Blanca Gutierrez (Graduate student). Next position: Consultant, Beghou Consulting Yalu Zhou (Bioinformatician). Next Position: Project manager, Northwestern University Celestia Fang (Graduate student). Next Position: Medical School (MSTP), Northwestern University Adam Lorch (Bioinformatician, high-throughput technologies). Next position: Bioinformatician, Northwestern University Yixing Zhu (Research Technologist). Next position: Research Technologist at University of Chicago Kelly Marie Arcipowski (Postdoctoral Fellow). Next Position: Group Leader at Pfizer Inc Mina Tayari (Postdoctoral Researcher). Next Position: Postdoctoral Fellow in Ramin Shiekhattar's Laboratory Christina Spaulding (Research Technologist) Megan Ruth Johnson (Research Technologist) Kenneth Kai-Zhi Wang (Master Student) |