Research

Research Priorities: Medicine, gastroenterology, inflammatory intestinal diseases, pharmacogenetics

Séverine Vermeire is a Belgian gastroenterologist. She is a specialist in inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis which seriously impact the patients’ quality of life. Séverine Vermeire contributed decisively to a deeper understanding of the genetic causes of such ailments. Recently, she dedicated herself to the search for biological therapies to intestinal diseases.

Séverine Vermeire gains pathbreaking insight into the genetic causes, the hereditary dispositions of Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis. Furthermore, she aims to understand the influence of patients’ various genetic dispositions on the efficacy of medications – the so-called pharmacogenetics.

Recently, Séverine Vermeire focused her efforts on the search for biological therapies as well as on the immune system’s influence on the development of inflammatory bowel diseases.

Career

• since 2021 Research Coordinator, Group of Biomedical Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
• 2016-2021 Chair, Department of Chronic Diseases & Metabolism (CHROMETA), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
• since 2016 Full Professor of Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
• since 2013 Head, IBD Leuven Clinical & Research Unit, Universitair Ziekenhuis (ZU) Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
• 2009-2016 Associate Professor of Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
• 2005-2015 Assistant Professor of Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
• 2004-2020 Senior Clinical Investigator, Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO), Brussels, Belgium
• since 2003 Full-time employment, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
• since 2003 Physician for Gastroenterology, ZU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
• 2001-2002 Studies, Montreal General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
• 1997-1998 Studies, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
• 1993 Semester Abroad, Universidad Nacional de Asuncion, San Lorenzo, Paraguay
• Studies in Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

Projects

• 2018 Partner, Project “Microbiota modulation strategies in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases“, VIB Grand Challenges Program (GCP), Zwijnaarde, Belgium
• 2016-2021 Advanced Grant “Diagnostic Tools, Therapies and Public Health“, European Research Council (ERC)
• 2016-2022 Advanced Grant “Novel diagnostic and therapeutic approach to inflammatory bowel disease based on functional characterization of patients: the Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis Characterization and Intervention trial (CrUCCial) index“, ERC

Functions

• 2014-2016 President, European Crohn's and Colitis Organization (ECCO)
• 2011-2013 President, Belgian IBD Research & Development (BIRD) Group, Belgium
• Member, Strategic Council, ECCO

Honours and Memberships

• 2022 Member, Academia Europaea
• 2020-2023 Francqui Research Professor, Fondation Francqui – Stichting – Francqui Foundation, Brussels, Belgium
• since 2017 Member, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Germany
• 2017 AstraZeneca Foundation Award, AstraZeneca Foundation, Wilmington, USA, Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine (ARMB), Belgium and Koninklijke Academie voor Geneeskunde van België (KAGB), Brussels, Belgium
• 2012 Prize, Academy of Immunology for Clinicians
• 2004 Rising Star Award, United European Gastroenterology (UGE)
• 2001 PhD Fellowship, Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S.– FNRS), Belgium
• 2001 Laureate Belgian AstraZeneca/FWO Scientific Scholarship, Belgium
• 1995, 2001 Laureate Research Award, Flemish Association for Gastroenterology, Belgium