Benoit Van den Eynde has been the Director of Ludwig Cancer Research Brussels since 2010. He also holds the positions of Professor at UCLouvain, Brussels, Director of the de Duve Institute in Brussels, and Professor of Tumour Immunology at the University of Oxford. He is a co-founder of iTeos Therapeutics.
He is a recognized expert in tumor immunology, a field to which he contributed in the early nineties by identifying some of the very first tumor antigens recognized by CD8+ T lymphocytes. His analyses of the processing of tumor antigens led to the discovery of peptide splicing by the proteasome, and the identification of new proteasome subtypes. His group was also the first to demonstrate that many tumors express the enzyme indoleamine dioxygenase, which suppress T lymphocyte activity by locally depleting tryptophan in the microenvironment. This led to the clinical development of IDO inhibitors. His current research focuses on combating immunosuppressive mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment via new immuno-oncology agents, and developing innovative cancer vaccines.
Benoit holds a medical degree and a Ph.D. in immunology from UCLouvain. He has authored more than 180 peer-reviewed publications and been named inventor on 32 US patents. He has received several awards during his career, including the 2007 GlaxoSmithKline Prize and the Joseph Maisin Prize in Biomedical Sciences. He sits on the scientific advisory board of several biotech and pharma companies.