Anne-Mieke

Vandamme

Prof Dr Anne-Mieke Vandamme was trained as biochemist, and holds a PhD in sciences since 1986. She joined the Rega Institute at the University of Leuven in 1990, where she started a unit on virus genetic testing for clinical and epidemiological purposes (http://rega.kuleuven.be/cev/avd/). She co-founded a new division, Clinical and Epidemiological Virology; and co-started the “Institute of the future”(www.institute-for-the-future.be), a transdisciplinary research incubator. She is member of the Superior Health Council of the Belgian government and of the WHO ad-hoc advisory group on COVID-19.

Anne-Mieke Vandamme and her team perform research on the molecular epidemiology of viruses, on virus drug resistance testing in clinical context, and on bioinformatics (data mining, phylogenetic analysis) tools. She has been participating in, or coordinating, many European projects (currently ZIKAlliance and STEAM+). She supported the development of a few widely used (bioinformatics) tools: the Rega HIV Drug Resistance algorithm; the Rega HIV typing and subtyping tool; and RegaDB, a free and open source software for collecting and sharing HIV epidemiological, clinical and virological data; Genome Detective, an automated system for virus identification from high-throughput sequencing. At the Institute for the Future, she coaches teams that incubate transdisciplinary research projects geared towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (https://rega.kuleuven.be/if/challenges). She is currently coaching a Coronavirus Pandemic Preparedness challenge (https://rega.kuleuven.be/if/coronavirus_challenge) and is coordinating a project on Futures for Food. She authored more than 400 scientific publications in international journals and more than 800 presentations for International Meetings.

In addition to her research activities, Anne-Mieke Vandamme is founder and organizer of the yearly International Bioinformatics Workshop on Virus Evolution and Molecular Epidemiology (VEME, 25th in 2020), is co-initiator and co-organizer of the European HIV Drug Resistance Workshop (18th in 2020), is invited professor at the ‘Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical’ (Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal) and visiting professor at the Medical School, University of Belgrade, Serbia. She teaches Evolutionary Genetics and Bioinformatics at the University of Leuven, and co-started an Honours Programme on Transdisciplinary Insights. She also launched a new eJournal for the Institute for the Future: Transdisciplinary Insights, and co-founded two start-up companies (IBEICO and MYBIODATA).

Contact

Trefwoorden
Bio-informatica
Evolutieleer
Microbiologie
Forensische of gerechtelijke geneeskunde
Biomedische wetenschappen

Talenkennis

Moedertaal
Nederlands
Spreek je nog andere talen?
Engels
Frans
Nederlands
Andere
Portugees

Achtergrond

Lidmaatschap
Hoge Gezondheidsraad
WHO panels (HIV antivirale resistentie, COVID-19)
ECDC panels (HIV antivirale resistentie, moleculaire epidemiologie en opvolging van epidemies)
Huidige nationaliteit(en)
Belg
Nationaliteit(en) bij geboorte
Belg
Nationaliteit(en) moeder bij geboorte
Belg
Nationaliteit(en) vader bij geboorte
Belg

Studie(s) en diploma's

June 1978: Secundary school : ASO Wet B, St-Niklaasinstituut, Kortrijk, Belgium.
July 1982: Master in Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, Faculty of Sciences, Chemistry department, specialisation Biochemistry, great distinction obtained during all four years.
19 March 1986: Doctor in Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, Faculty of Sciences, Chemistry department, Laboratory of Biochemistry, PhD obtained with the greatest distinction: "Study of the biosynthesis of hemocyanin in Sepia officinalis" Prof Lontie & Prof Préaux

Huidige functieomschrijving

Regular full professor (2005-at present) at the KU Leuven, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and transplantation, Belgium, Rega Institute for Medical Research.

Ervaring

Frequently invited lecturer in research institutions in Belgium and abroad (>70). Frequently invited speaker and invited chairman at international meetings.
Awardee of several scientific distinctions Award Jean-Servais Stas 1986. Award Franz Van Goidsenhoven for Clinical Medical Science, Period 1989-1991. Special award of the Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine, Period 1991-1993. Award Dr. & Mrs Schamelhout-Koettlitz for Medical Science, Period 1996-1997.
Fundraising Coordinator and participant in 3 European projects and networks during the last 10 years (ZIKAlliance 2016-2021, coordinator of VIROGENESIS 2015-2018, STEAM+ 2019-2022). Coordinator or participant in many other national and international projects
Supervising duties Supervising and advising researchers, copromotor or promotor of many undergraduate (35) and PhD students (32) at the KULeuven since 1983.
Invited expert International Jury member for PhD projects (18) and international grant organizations (>50). Forensic expert for HIV transmission cases (>20). Coordinator of the European Guidelines for HIV-1 Drug Resistance since 2000. Member of i) WHO HIV drug resistance network (e.g. Parkin N , Jordan MR, Bertagnolio S, with critical input from Harrigan R, Brooks J, Woods C, Kantor R, Peeters M, Sandstrom P, Schuurman R, Shafer R, Rhee SY, Vandamme AM, Yang C, DeVos J. WHO/HIVResNet HIV Drug Resistance Laboratory Operational Framework. WHO. Dec 2017. https://www.aidsdatahub.org/sites/default/files/publication/WHO:HIVResN…); ii) expert group for the “Development of ECDC roadmap for integration of molecular typing into European surveillance and epidemic preparedness” since 2011; iii) Belgian Superior Health Council since 2016; iv) WHO ad hoc advisory group for COVID-19.
Conference responsibilities Organizer or co-organizer of the annual i) International bioinformatics workshop on virus evolution and molecular epidemiology (VEME), since 1995; ii) Advanced Training in the Clinical Interpretation of Drug Resistance Testing Results, 2009-2017; iii) European Meeting on HIV & Hepatitis – Treatment Strategies & Antiviral Drug Resistance, since 2002. Co-organizer, chairman and scientific committee member on several national and international meetings.
Editor responsibilities Co-Founder and editor in chief of the eJournal Transdisciplinary Insights (since 2017). Editor of the international journal AIDS Reviews (since 1999). Associated editor for Frontiers in Medicine, specialty Infectious Diseases - Surveillance, Prevention and Treatment (since 2016). Current member of the editorial board of the international journals Antiviral Therapy Reviews (since 2006), The Open Infectious Diseases Journal (since 2007), The Open AIDS Journal (since 2007), Retrovirology (since 2009), Infection, Genetics and Evolution (since 2009), Current Opinion in Virology (since 2013), Virus Evolution (since 2014). Occasional guest editor for various journals.
Participation in international organizations Member of 13 scientific organizations including BREACH (co-founder and board member, http://breach-hiv.be/), EACS, ESAR (co-founder and board member up to 2015, http://www.esar-society.eu/), IAS, ESCV, International Retrovirology Association (board member 2001-2007).
Academic responsibilities Head of i) Clinical and Epidemiological Virology (KULeuven) (rotating every 3 years with Prof Van Ranst); ii) Laboratory for Clinical and Evolutionary Virology; iii) Institute for the Future. Permanent member of the faculty council (Medicine) and the department council (Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation), KULeuven. Holder of phylantropic research chair ‘Infectious Diseases in Developing Countries’.
Teaching Genetics (Master in BioInformatics, KULeuven, Belgium); BioInformatics (Master in BioInformatics and Masters in Medical Sciences, KULeuven, Belgium); Co-Founder of the Honours Programme ‘Transdisciplinary Insights’ (All Master levels, KU Leuven, Belgium). Occasional teacher in “Molecular epidemiology of viruses” and in “Bioinformatics” in several Universities worldwide.
Contributor to open source software https://rega.kuleuven.be/cev/avd/software. Available on-line from several websites worldwide: • The Rega Algorithm “Clinical decision support software for the interpretation of genotypic HIV drug resistance” • The Rega HIV-1 Subtyping tool “Automated tool for classifying HIV-1 strains using phylogenetic analysis” • RegaDB: An Open Source, Community-Driven HIV Data and Analysis Management Environment.
Co-founder and co-director of the companies IBEICO (International Biomedical Engineering and Informatics Consultancy Office) (since 2006) and MyBioData (Support for database solutions in the Biomedical sector) (2006-2014)
Coordinator of Challenge "A transdisciplinary approach to pandemic preparedness” at the Institute for the Future (https://rega.kuleuven.be/if/coronavirus_challenge).

Relevante onderzoeken

- Molecular evolution of human viruses, HTLV, HIV, HCV, DENV, ZIKV.
- Transmission cluster investigation, in a forensic and public health context.
- Emergence and spread of antiviral drug resistance in clinical practice, with a focus on HIV and HCV.
- Building prediction models for therapy response in HIV-infected patients using a database/datamining approach.
- Investigation of disease progression in HTLV or HIV infected patients.
- Setting up a transdisciplinary research incubator

Mijn media ervaring

diverse interviews in Belgische en buitenlandse media