Contact

Yanou Engelen
Laboratory for General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy
Ghent University
Ottergemsesteenweg 460
9000 Ghent
Belgium
Tel: 0032 9 264 8047 (secretary)
Tel: 0032 9 264 8365 (direct)
E-mail: yanou.engelen@ugent.be

Biography

Yanou Engelen started a Bachelor in Bio Engineering at the University of Antwerp in 2012. Afterwards, he obtained a Master’s degree in Bioscience Engineering: Cell and Gene Biotechnology in 2019 at the University of Ghent. His master’s dissertation was titled: “High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound: Is there a link with immunogenic cell death?” at the LGBPP. After working as a math and chemistry teacher at Sint-Ursula Lyceum in Lier for little over a year, he rejoined the LGBPP and started his PhD in 2020, continuing the project of his master’s dissertation, under supervision of Prof. Stefaan De Smedt, Dr. Ine Lentacker and Dr. Heleen Dewitte. 

Research Interests

Immunology, cellular biology, cancer biology, immunogenic cell death, biotechnology, HIFU

Summary research subject

Cell-based immunotherapies hold great promise for the future treatment of cancer. Among the recent discoveries in cancer immunotherapy is the concept of immunogenic cell death (ICD). When tumor cell death is induced in an immunogenic way, dying tumor cells can be recognized and engulfed by dendritic cells (DCs), resulting in DC-activation and tumor antigen presentation. As such, dying tumor cells can become a cell-based vaccine.