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Scientific carreer (with the support of the Belgian Fund for Scientific Research [F.N.R.S.] from 1969 through 1989):

• 1963-1965: Laboratory of Physiological Chemistry of the Facultés Universitaires N.D. de la Paix at Namur (Mentors: Profs. R. & S. Wattiaux)
• 1965-1993: Laboratory of Physiological Chemistry of the Université catholique de Louvain [in the city of Louvain (Leuven, as it is known in Flemish) from 1965 through 1974; in Brussels since 1974)
  (Mentors: Profs C. de Duve, H. Beaufay and A. Trouet)
• 1974-1993: International Institute of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Brussels (Head of the Cellular and Molecular Toxicology Group since 1981)
• 1993 up to now: Unit of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology (Head of Unit up to 2003), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine of the Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels (reorganized in 2009 as the Louvain Drug Research Institute in the "Health Science Sector" of the Université catholique de Louvain).

Main research interest:

• Pathophysiology of lysosomes
• Endocytosis and of the interactions of drugs and chemicals with membranbes and subcellular organelles
• Antibiotic toxicity (molecular, cellular and clinical aspects)
• Chemotherapy of intracellular infection
• Antibiotic efflux pumps and transporters
• Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of anti-infective drugs (in vitro models and clinical trials)
• Discovery and development of new antibiotics.
• Promotion of proper antibiotic usage (trough guidelines and public actions)
• implementation of Clinical Pharmacy in Belgium

Main scientific achievements:  

Cellular biology and toxicology

Antibiotic pharmacodynamics and cellular pharmacokinetics

• design and evaluation of a new schedule of administration of aminoglycosides ('once-a-day'; now widely used in clinical practice)
• pharmacodynamics of macrolides and fluoroquinolones in models of intracellular infection
• characterization of fluoroquinolone and macrolide drug transporters and efflux in macrophages
• establishing the conditions for the use of beta-lactams by continuous infusion in Intensive Care and Cystic Fibrosis Patients 

New antibiotic discovery and development

• design and evaluation of  new pro-drugs of beta-lactam antibiotics
• discovery of new antibiotics acting against multiresistant bacteria

Promotion of appropriate usage of antibiotics

Author of more than 250 original scientific peer-reviewed papers, reviews, and chapter of books (see above).

Reviewer or several Journals in the disciplines of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Cell Pathology, Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and Infectious Diseases, Medicinal Chemistry, and Internal Medicine.

Holder of the 2010 Chaire Francqui au titre Belge of the Fondation Francqui/Francqui-Stichting at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB).

Main Committees and Boards

• Current
  • Belgian Antibiotic Policy Coordination Committee [BAPCOC] (Commission de coordination de la Politique Antibiotique / Commissie voor Antibioticabeleid) at the Belgian Federal Ministry of Health and subcommittee "Public Awardness" (Sensibilisation du public / Sensibilisatrie van het publiek) (see http://www.antibiotiques.org/english)
  • Scientific Committee of the Fondation Eugène Yourassowksy
  • Belgian Federal Commission for the Implementation of Clinical Pharmacy
  • Expert at the Belgian (French speaking) Fund for Scientific Research (Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique [F.R.S.-FNRS]
    
    
• Past
  • 1990-2004: Scientific Commission "Pharmaceutical Sciences" (Commission des Sciences Pharmaceutiques) of the National Foundation for Scientific Research (French-speaking; Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique [FRS-FNRS])
  • 1990-1999: Scientific Commission "Drug Sciences" (Geneesmiddelen Commissie) of the  Foundation for Scientific Research in Flanders (Dutch-speaking; Fonds voor Wetenschappelijke Onderzoek - Vlaanderen [F.W.O.-Vl.])
  • 1999-2001: Board of the Belgians Society for Infectious Diseases and Clinical MIcrobiology (Société Belge d'Infectiologie et de Microbiologie Clinique / Belgische Vereniging voor Infectiologie en Klinische Microbiologie [S.B.I.M.C. / B.V.I.K.M.]
  • 1998-2002: Belgian Federal Commission on Drug Transparency Committee (Commission de Transparance / Doorzichtigheidscommissie) at the Belgian Federal Ministry of Health
  • 1999-2005: Ethical Committee for Phase I studies at Johnson & Johnson Research (Janssen Research Foundation), Beerse, Belgium (Dutch-speaking Ethische Commissie NZ-OG 084)
  • 2002: Member of the Site Visit Committee of Flemish Faculties of Pharmacy for the Flemish Interuniversity Council (Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad [VLIR])
  • 2002-2006: Belgain Federal Commission of Drug Reimbursement (Commission de remboursement des médicaments/Commissie voor Tegemoetkoming van Geneesemiddelen) at the Belgian Ministry of Social Affairs (National Institute for for Sickness and Invalidity [INAMI / RIZIV])
  • 2011: Member of the Site Visit Committee of Flemish Faculties of Pharmacy for the Flemish Interuniversity Council (Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad [VLIR])
    
    

• 1993-2010: co-organizer of the 'Séminaire de Pathologie Infectieuse'
• 1994-2001: Co-organizer of the 'Séminaires et Conférences du département des Sciences Pharmaceutiques'  

Teaching (until 2010; currently participating as invited Professor to the teachings marked with an * )
 

• jointly at the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL - French-speaking) and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU-Leuven - Dutch-speaking)

• Co-holder of the GSK-Chair of Infectious Diseases (with Prof. J. Van Eldere [KU-Leuven]) until 2010

• the Faculty of Medicine of the Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels (until 2010)

• Graduate level:
• Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy
• Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology of new Drugs
• Ethics of the developement of new drugs (*)
• Rational Choices fo Drugs (*)

• Postgraduate level:
• Dug Discovery and Development
• Infectious Pathology
• Cell Biology, Biophysics, and Physiopathology in relation to Drug Design
• Molecular Pharmacology
• Cellular and Molecular pharmacology
• "From pathology to treatment" [in collaboration with the Institut de Chimie Thérapeutique, Facuté de Pharmacie, Université de Lille 2, Lille, France).

• at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Université de Mons-Hainaut, Mons (until 2010)
  
  
• Human Biochemistry and Biochemical Pathology