Projects per year
Personal profile
Research expertise
Luc Kestens graduated as a Master in Biology in 1978 from the University of Antwerp.
He joined the Laboratory of Pathology and experimental schistosomiasis of ITM in the same year and prepared a PhD thesis on the immunopathology of immune complexes in murine experimental schistosomiasis which he defended in 1987. Because his interest in immunology, he became involved in HIV research since the early days of the HIV pandemic in 1983. In 1985, he was the first to publish the lack of association between HIV and the endemic form of Kaposi’s Sarcoma in Eastern Africa.
Since 1985, his main research focus was the immunopathogenesis of HIV published more than one hundred twenty scientific papers in international scientific journals. He became lecturer in Immunology at ITM in 1998, was appointed head of the laboratory of Immunology in 1995, and was elected chairman of the Department of Microbiology in 2000. He supervises several undergraduate students, Master and PhD students.
Luc Kestens is professor at ITM and professor in immunology of tropical infectious diseases of the University of Antwerp. He serves in scientific committees of the Flemish Institute of Science and Technology (IWT) and the Flemish Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIR). He is expert consultant of Belgian Institute of Public Health (ISP-WIV) and consultant for international organizations such as the WHO. His lab is part of the WHO Collaborating Centre for HIV/AIDS Diagnostic and Laboratory Support, in particular CD4 counting.
Research lines
- The immunological cause for resistance against HIV-infection.
- Immunological monitoring of HIV infection and immune reconstitution.
- The immunopathogenesis of the immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) in HIV patients.
- Alternatives for immunological monitoring of HIV infection in development countries.
Education/Academic qualification
Master
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 9 Finished
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A study of the mechanisms of natural killer cell-mediated resistance to HIV-infection
Hens, J., Kestens, L. & Kestens, L.
22/01/15 → 2/04/20
Project: PhD-project
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Study of the dynamics, phenotype and role of regulatory T cells during HIV subtype C early Infecton and during prime-boost vaccination with HIVIS-DNA
Matavele Chissumba, R., Kestens, L. & Jani, I. V.
1/12/13 → 8/05/19
Project: PhD-project
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SeTPAT: A Directed Search for a Treponema pallidum Antigen Test
Kenyon, C., Büscher, P., Kestens, L., Ravinetto, R., Van Ostade, X. & Ratsarahery, L.
Flemish Government - Department of Economy, Science & Innovation
1/07/13 → 28/02/19
Project: Research Project
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The role of TH17 and regulatory T-cells in the development of schistosoma pathology in Senegal
Mbow, M., Polman, K., Kestens, L., Mboup, S. & Yazdanbakhsh, M.
1/01/12 → 11/04/19
Project: PhD-project
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The role of T cell diversity in the pathogenesis of TB-IRIS in HIV/aids patients in Uganda
Nakiwala, J., Kestens, L., Kestens, L. & Pala, P.
1/07/11 → 12/07/23
Project: PhD-project
Research output
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Helios expressing regulatory T cells are correlated with decreased IL-2 producing CD8 T cells and antibody diversity in Mozambican individuals living chronically with HIV-1
RV363 Study Group, 2022, In: Immunology. 23, 1, p. 12Research output: Contribution to journal › A1: Web of Science-article › peer-review
Open AccessFile13 Downloads (Pure) -
Genetic variation in the immune system and malaria susceptibility in infants: a nested case-control study in Nanoro, Burkina Faso
Natama, H. M., Rovira-Vallbona, E., Krit, M., Guetens, P., Sorgho, H., Somé, M. A., Traoré-Coulibaly, M., Valéa, I., Mens, P. F., Schallig, H. D. F. H., Berkvens, D., Kestens, L., Tinto, H. & Rosanas-Urgell, A., 2021, In: Malaria Journal. 20, 1, 14 p., 94.Research output: Contribution to journal › A1: Web of Science-article › peer-review
Open AccessFile13 Downloads (Pure) -
Lack of elevated pre-ART elastase-ANCA levels in patients developing TB-IRIS
TB-IRIS Study Group, 2020, In: PLoS ONE. 15, 12, 13 p., e0244800.Research output: Contribution to journal › A1: Web of Science-article › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Downloads (Pure) -
Use of resuscitation promoting factors to screen for tuberculosis infection in household-exposed children in The Gambia
van Loon, W., Gomez, M. P., Jobe, D., Franken, K. L. M. C., Ottenhoff, T. H. M., Coninx, M., Kestens, L., Sutherland, J. S., Kampmann, B. & Tientcheu, L. D., 2020, In: BMC Infectious Diseases. 20, 1, 9 p., 469.Research output: Contribution to journal › A1: Web of Science-article › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Downloads (Pure) -
Complement receptor 1 availability on red blood cell surface modulates Plasmodium vivax invasion of human reticulocytes
Prajapati, S. K., Borlon, C., Rovira-Vallbona, E., Gruszczyk, J., Menant, S., Wai-Hong Tham, Kattenberg, J. H., Villasis, E., De Meulenaere, K., Gamboa, D., Vinetz, J., Fujita, R., Xa Nguyen Xuan, Ferreira, M. U., Nino, C. H., Patarroyo, M. A., Spanakos, G., Kestens, L., Van Den Abbeele, J. & Rosanas-Urgell, A., 2019, In: Scientific Reports. 9, 1, 13 p., 8943.Research output: Contribution to journal › A1: Web of Science-article › peer-review
Open AccessFile29 Downloads (Pure)