Research expertise

Johan van Griensven (°1972), Medical Doctor (KU Leuven Belgium 1997), Internal Medicine specialist (KU Leuven 2004), PhD Medical Sciences: “Gene therapy of AIDS: Gene transfer of Antiretroviral Genes into Hematopoietic Stem Cells Using HIV-Derived Vectors” (Rega Institute, KU Leuven 2003; FWO scholarship), Masters in Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 2010).

Between 2004 and 2014, he was based as clinician and researcher in Africa (including three years with Médecins Sans Frontières) and Asia (Cambodia). In 2008, he joined ITM with a post-doctoral grant from the Baillet Latour Foundation, to launch clinical research on neglected tropical diseases and their interaction with HIV. Since 2015, he heads the unit of Neglected Tropical Diseases at ITM.

His main field of interest is visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and HIV co-infection, with clinical trials and nested laboratory studies conducted in Ethiopia. He has a track record in leading scientific projects in complex settings, beyond leishmaniasis. During the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in West-Africa, he led a large consortium conducting a phase II/III clinical trial on convalescent plasma as treatment for Ebola virus disease in Guinea (H2020 funding; http://www.ebolatx.eu/). He co-launched the ITM outbreak research team and is currently member of the outbreak research team’s steering committee.

He currently is the course director of the short course in clinical research and evidence based medicine (SCREM course https://edu.itg.be/Course/Component/117?typeId=3)

He has published in high impact scientific journals including New England Journal of Medicine (n=3), Nature (n=1), Lancet (n=4) and Lancet Infectious Diseases (n=9). In 2017, he received the Dubois-Briguez price for research in tropical medicine.

Five key publications

1.           Combination therapy for visceral leishmaniasis. J. van Griensven, M. Balasegaram, F Meheus, et al. Lancet Infectious Diseases 2010; 10: 184-94 [JIF: 25.2]

2.           HIV-1 protease inhibitors for treatment of visceral leishmaniasis in HIV-co-infected individuals. J. van Griensven, E. Diro, R. Lopez-Velez, et al . Lancet Infectious Diseases 2013; 13: 251-9 [JIF: 25.2]

3.           Immunomodulatory therapy of visceral leishmaniasis in HIV coinfected patients.W. Adriaensen W, TPC. Dorlo, G. Vanham, L Kestens, PM Kaye, J. van Griensven. Frontiers in Immunology 2018; 8: 1943 [JIF: 5.5]

4.           Long-term clinical outcomes in visceral leishmaniasis-HIV co-infected patients during and after  pentamidine secondary prophylaxis in Ethiopia: a single-arm clinical trial. E. Diro, K. Ritmeijer, M. Boelaert, F. Alves, R. Mohammed, C. Abongomera, R. Ravinetto, M. De Crop, H. Fikre, C. Adera, H. van Loen, A. Tsoumanis, W. Adriaensen, A. Hailu, J. van Griensven. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2018 66: 444-451 [JIF: 9.1]

5.           Evaluation of Convalescent Plasma for Ebola Virus Disease in Guinea. J. van Griensven, T. Edwards, X. de Lamballerie, et al. for the Ebola-Tx Consortium. New England Journal of Medicine 2016; 374: 33-42 [JIF: 79.3]