People

Benoit Vanhollebeke

Professor Benoit Vanhollebeke, PhD, is a molecular biologist at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and a senior investigator at the WEL Research Institute. His research trajectory spans from elucidating immune evasion strategies of African trypanosomes to pioneering investigations into the development and maintenance of the brain vasculature. His laboratory identified the Gpr124/Reck signaling complex, establishing its mechanism of action and clarifying its role as a critical regulator of brain angiogenesis and the blood–brain barrier. His team further demonstrated the feasibility of its selective activation, thereby validating the Gpr124/Reck complex as a transformative therapeutic target for repairing the blood–CNS barriers in neurological and cerebrovascular disorders. Professor Vanhollebeke’s work has appeared in leading journals including Science , Nature , the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) , PNAS , Nature Medicine , Nature Communications , Nature Microbiology , Nature Cardiovascular Research , Cell Reports , Brain , and eLife . This research has yielded multiple patents and is now being translated into therapeutic applications through Neuvasq Biotechnologies. His scientific leadership has been recognized with European Research Council (ERC) and WEL Research Institute funding, along with several honors, including the recent FNRS Triennial Prize of the Pierre & Simone Clerdent Foundation for research in human neurological disorders, and the Fondation Lambertine Lacroix Prize for contributions to cardiovascular disease research.