Karim Vermaelen

Karim Vermaelen, MD, PhD is a thoracic oncologist at Ghent University Hospital and associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences of Ghent University.

He obtained his PhD in 2004 on the subject of dendritic cells in lung immune regulation homeostasis. He founded the Thoracic Tumor Immunology Laboratory, focusing on immune suppression in the lung cancer micro-environment, and the development of a novel, mRNA-dendritic cell vaccine for lung cancer patients at UZ Gent. Additional research lines continue the focus on RNA-based reprogramming of myeloid cells as well as the search for non-invasive biomarkers to predict response to immune checkpoint blockade in lung cancer.

He is a cofounder of ION-Ghent (Immuno-Oncology Network Ghent), and steering group member of CRIG (Cancer Research Institute Ghent). Through his involvement in national and international advisory boards, KV is a recognized expert in immuno-oncology of thoracic cancers.