SSS/FASB Faculté de pharmacie et des sciences biomédicales (FASB)
SSS/LDRI Louvain Drug Research Institute (LDRI)
Dr. Laure Bindels obtained the title of pharmacist and completed her PhD training as an FNRS fellow at the Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium. Her PhD research established the therapeutic potential of prebiotics and probiotics in managing tumor progression and associated cachexia. During her postdoctoral tenure at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the USA, she demonstrated that resistant starches can enhance insulin sensitivity independently of the gut microbiota. During this time, she trained herself in bioinformatics and biostatistics.
Currently, Dr. Bindels serves as an Associate Professor at the Université catholique de Louvain and is a WELRI investigator. She is an internationally recognized expert in the mechanisms linking the gut microbiota with cancer cachexia and metabolic and inflammatory disorders, a research focus she is exploring with her team. She is also a lecturer at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences where her current teaching topics include toxicology, nutrition, cancer, analytical chemistry and drug metabolism.
Dr. Bindels has received numerous accolades, including the Collen-Francqui Research Professor Mandate (2022-2025), the Galien Prize (2024), the Bekales Prize (2024), the Dr. Maes Prize (2023) and the Pharmabiotics Young Investigators Award (2018). Additionally, she holds editorial positions as an Associate Editor for JCSM and Senior Editor for Microbiome and acts as a Board Director for the Cancer Cachexia Society. More information on her research can be found in the CV and Research projects tabs.
CURRENT POSITION & TITLES
Associate Professor in Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences & PI in the Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group (UCLouvain, tenured since 2020)
Louvain Drug Research Institute. August 2016 – ongoing. “Harnessing the therapeutic potential of the gut microbiota for cancer and cachexia: beyond the usual suspects”
Welbio Investigator (Wel Research Institute). May 2022 - ongoing
Collen-Francqui Research Professor. September 2022 - ongoing
PREVIOUS POSITIONS
FNRS Post-doctoral Researcher (UCLouvain), Louvain Drug Research Institute, with Prof Nathalie Delzenne. July 2014 – August 2016. “Gut microbiota as a causative factor for cancer-related cachexia: involvement of the gut barrier function”
Post-doctoral Research Associate (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE, USA) in the Mucosal Immunology Lab, Prof Amanda Ramer-Tait and in the Gastrointestinal Microbiology Lab, Prof Jens Walter. July 2013 – June 2014. “Role of the gut microbiota in the metabolic improvements induced by resistant starches in obese mice”
Post-doctoral Researcher (UCLouvain), Louvain Drug Research Institute, with Prof Nathalie Delzenne. April 2013 - June 2013. Walloon Region-funded project (NutriGUTior) dedicated to the investigation of nutritional compounds to improve intestinal health in the elderly
FNRS fellow (UCLouvain), Louvain Drug Research Institute, with Prof Nathalie Delzenne. October 2008 - March 2013. “Gut-immunity relationship in the control of cachexia associated with tumour development: role of the gut microbiota.”
EDUCATION
- UCLouvain leadership program. Since 2022.
- Roo programming and package development. A one-day intensive workshop. October 2019.
- MixOmics workshop (20h). A two-day intensive workshop on multi -omics data integration. November 17.
- 15.071x The Analytics Edge (MITx-edX) (90h). A course for multivariate and logistic analyses of large datasets organized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts, MA, USA. February – May 2015.
- European Nutrition Leadership Program (ENLP). April 2015.
- Intercultural Leadership skills workshop for postdocs supported by Prins Filip Fonds. September 2014.
- Perl Programming for Biological Applications (UNL, 3 credits, 75h). September-December 2013.
- Intensive one-week workshop: “Next-generation sequencing technologies and bioinformatics analyses” with Dr Ines Martinez, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE, USA. August 2013.
- PhD in Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences (UCLouvain). Role of gut microbiota modulation in the control of cancer progression and associated cachexia. Thesis director: Prof. Nathalie Delzenne, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Belgium. Mars 2013.
- First Nutrimetabonomics Workshop (University of Reading, UK). April 2012.
- Master in Animal Experimentation (UCLouvain). June 2009.
- Pharmacist (UCLouvain). June 2008.
PRIZES & AWARDS
- Fondation Bekales Prize (Académie royale de Médecine de Belgique) (2025)
- Galien Prize for best pharmacological project (2024)
- Prize Dr Jean-Oscar Maes (triennal prize from the UCLouvain) (2023)
- Collen-Francqui Research Professorship Mandate (2022-2025)
- Pharmabiotics Young Investigators Award (2018), to fund future research
- Prize Docteur Maurice Godin-Maria Savelkoul (Académie royale de Médecine de Belgique) (2016)
- Scholarship for the Next Gen Immunology 2016 meeting sponsored by the Weizmann Systems Biology initiative (2016)
- Award Danone Institute for the best popular article in nutrition (2015)
- Young Investigator Award from the Society on Cachexia and Wasting Disorders (2015)
- Nebraska Gateway to Nutrigenomics Research Award (2014)
- Honorary Fellowship from the B.A.E.F. (Belgian American Education Foundation) (2014)
- Early Career Investigator Travel Fellowship from the New York Academy of Sciences (2013)
- Keystone Symposium Scholarship, grant from the NIH, Colorado, USA (2012)
- Prize of Excellence for the research activities conducted as undergrad student, UCL, Belgium (2008)
- “Pharmacist & Doctor Nedeljkovitch” Award, Belgian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Belgium (2008)
Last updated: July 2025
RESEARCH TOPIC
My current research team is dedicated to the development of novel therapies for cancer cachexia based on our mechanistic exploration of the gut microbiota-host crosstalk. Cancer cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome characterized by body weight loss, anorexia, muscle atrophy, fat depletion and systemic inflammation. Clinically, cancer cachexia results in increased morbidity and mortality rates as well as reduced tolerance to anti-cancer treatments. The gut microbiota consists of the trillions of microbes that reside in the gastrointestinal tract of mammals, and has a vast impact on host physiology and metabolism. Studying the gut microbiota as a therapeutic target constitutes an innovative approach to this pathology, an approach currently followed by my team. Additional projects focus on the role of bacterial and microbial metabolites in various metabolic disorders, including kidney-related cachexia, and in the modulation of drug pharmacokinetics.
A summary of our key research results regarding the gut microbiota-host crosstalk in cancer cachexia can be found here. The video abstract of our publication on the gut microbiota and drug pharmacokinetics can be seen here. Recorded presentations can be found here (Cancer Cachexia Seminars, April 2021) and here (44th ESPEN Congress, September 2022).
We are always looking for highly motivated PhD and master students to perform their thesis or project work in our group. If you are interested, please reach out and let us know about your motivations.
CURRENT LAB MEMBERS UNDER MY SUPERVISION
- Dr Audrey Neyrinck, qualified researcher
- Dr Xiaolin Li, Posdoctoral fellow
- Sophie Lecop, PhD fellow (Thesis director)
- Alice Barbé, PhD fellow (Thesis co-director)
- Dr Inès Dufour, PhD fellow (Thesis director)
- Edwie Piron, PhD fellow (Thesis director)
- Stéphanie Delieux, technician in medical biology
- Bouazza Es Saadi, technician in medical biology
- Marine Olivier, technician in medical biology
- Luc Gesche, technician assistant
- Hoang Nguyen, financial account manager
A full list of our group with shared technical and logistical expertise can be found here.
SELECTED INVITATIONS TO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES AND SYMPOSIUMS
IS: invited speaker; SA: selected abstract for oral communication.
2024 (IS) 5th Self-care Dialysis Symposium, Brussels, Belgium.
2024 (IS) Keystone Symposium, Novato, CA, USA.
2023 (IS) Cachexia Conference, CCS, Edinburgh, UK.
2023 (IS) 45th ESPEN Congress, Lyon France.
2023 (IS) Berchtesgarden Microbiome Science Days, Berchtesgaden, Germany.
2023 (IS) Cachexia conference, SCWD, Stockholm, Sweden.
2023 (IS) Microbiota INSERM Workshop, Bordeaux, France.
2022 (IS) Conference of the JIRU-MicroMeNu, Rome, Italy.
2022 (IS) CRC1382 International Symposium, Aachen, Germany.
2022 (IS) London Microbiome Meeting, online meeting.
2020 (IS) 44th ESPEN Congress, Vienne, Austria.
2022 (IS) Cachexia Conference, SCWD, Lisbon, Portugal.
2022 (IS) ISAPP meeting, Barcelona, Spain.
2022 (IS) Frontiers in Host-Microbiota Symbiotic Interactions Symposium, Berlin, Germany.
2021 (IS) Nature Conference, online meeting, initially planned in San Diego, California, USA.
2021 (IS) Ag & Health Summit, online meeting, initially planned in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
2021 (IS) New York Academy of Science Conference, online meeting.
2020 (IS) 42st ESPEN Congress, online meeting. Muscle modulation by the gut microbiota.
2019 (IS) International Symposium DeSève chair, Brussels, Belgium.
2019 (IS) EHMSG Workshop, Innsbruck, Austria.
2019 (IS) 41st ESPEN Congress, ESPEN Research fellow, Krakow, Poland.
2019 (IS) CDDF multi-stakeholder workshop, Munich, Germany.
2018 (SA) Cachexia Conference, SCWD, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
2018 (IS) Pharmabiotics, Paris, France. Pharmabiotics Investigator Award.
2018 (IS) Keystone Symposium, Banff, Canada.
2017 (IS) Beneficial Microbes Conference, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Keynote topic.
2017 (IS) Berchtesgaden Microbiome Science Days, Berchtesgaden, Germany.
2017 (IS) Wellcome Trust Scientific Conference, Hinxton, UK.
2016 (IS) NuGO week, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2016 (IS) Annual Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), Boston, USA. Plenary session.
2015 (IS) International Society of Cancer Metabolism, Venice, Italy. Keynote speaker.
2015 (IS) Physiology, Cardiff, UK.
2015 (SA) Cachexia Conference, SCWD, Paris, France. Young Investigators Award (265 abstracts).
2014 (SA) Targeting Microbiota, Paris, France.
2012 (SA) ISAPP meeting, Cork, Ireland.
Invited speaker in international and national events (26/11), local seminars (17) and educational seminars (9). A full list of my oral communications is available here.
Last updated: July 2025.
| Année | Libellé | Établissement |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Docteur en sciences biomédicales et pharmaceutiques | Université catholique de Louvain (Belgique) |
| 2008 | Pharmacienne | Université catholique de Louvain (Belgique) |
SELECTED RESEARCH ARTICLES
• Thibaut MM, Roumain M, Piron E, Gillard J, Loriot A, Neyrinck AM, Rodriguez J, Massart I, Thissen JP, Huot JR, Pin F, Bonetto A, Delzenne NM, Muccioli GG, Bindels LB. The microbiota-derived bile acid taurodeoxycholic acid improves hepatic cholesterol levels in mice with cancer cachexia. Gut Microbes 2025.
• Pötgens SA, Havelange V, Lecop S, Li F, Neyrinck AM, Bindels F, Neveux N, Demoulin JB, Moors I, Kerre T, Maertens J, Walter J, Schoemans H, Delzenne NM, Bindels LB. Gut microbiome alterations at acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis are associated with muscle weakness and anorexia. Haematologica 2024.
• Lefevre C, Thibaut MM, Loumaye A, Thissen JP, Neyrinck AM, Navez B, Delzenne NM, Feron O, Bindels LB. Tumoral acidosis promotes adipose tissue depletion by fostering adipocyte lipolysis, Mol Metab 2024.
• Degraeve A, Haufroid V, Loriot A, Gatto L, Andries V, Vereecke L, Elens L*, Bindels LB*. Gut microbiome modulates tacrolimus pharmacokinetics through the transcriptional regulation of ABCB1, Microbiome 2023 (cited 31 times).
• Dolly A, Pötgens SA*, Thibaut MM*, Neyrinck AM, de Castro GS, Galbert C, Lefevre C, Wyart E, Gomes SP, Gonçalves DC, Lanthier N, Baldin P, Huot JR, Bonetto A, Seelaender M, Delzenne NM, Sokol H, Bindels LB. Impairment of aryl hydrocarbon receptor signalling promotes hepatic disorders in cancer cachexia. J Cach Sarc Muscle 2023.
• Pötgens SA, Thibaut MM, Joudiou N, Sboarina M, Neyrinck AM, Cani PD, Claus SP, Delzenne NM, Bindels LB. Multi-compartment metabolomics and metagenomics reveal major hepatic and intestinal disturbances in cancer cachectic mice, J Cach Sarc Muscle 2021 (cited 44 times).
• Bindels LB, Segura Munoz R, Gomes Neto JC, Mutemberezi V, Martínez I, Salazar N, Cody EA, Quintero-Villegas MI, Kittana H, de los Reyes-Gavilán CG, Schmaltz RJ, Muccioli GG, Walter J, Ramer-Tait AE. Resistant starch can improve insulin sensitivity independently of the gut microbiota. Microbiome 2017 (cited 122 times).
• Bindels LB, Neyrinck AM, Claus SP, Le Roy CI, Grangette C, Pot B, Martinez I, Walter J, Cani PD, Delzenne NM. Synbiotic approach restores intestinal homeostasis and prolongs survival in leukaemic mice with cachexia, The ISME J 2016 (cited 163 times).
• Bindels LB, Porporato P, Dewulf EM, Verrax J, Neyrinck AM, Martin JC, Scott KP, Buc CP, Feron O, Muccioli GG, Sonveaux P, Cani PD, Delzenne NM. Gut microbiota-derived propionate reduces cancer cell proliferation in the liver, Br J Cancer 2012 (cited 247 times).
• Bindels LB, Beck R, Schakman O, Martin JC, De Backer FC, Sohet FM, Dewulf EM, Pachikian BD, Neyrinck AM, Thissen JP, Verrax J, Buc Calderon P, Pot B, Grangette C, Cani PD, Delzenne NM. Restoring Specific Lactobacilli Levels Decreases Inflammation and Muscle Atrophy Markers in an Acute Leukemia Mouse Model, PLoS One 2012 (cited 218 times).
SELECTED REVIEWS, COMMENTARIES & EDITORIALS
• Bindels LB, Watts JEM, Theis KR, Carrion VJ, Ossowicki A, Seifert J, Oh J, Shao Y, Hilty M, Kumar P, Hildebrand F, Lovejoy C, Wigley P, Yu K, Zhang M, Zhang T, Walter J, Desai MS, Huws SA, Schriml LM, Ravel J, Fricke WF, Eloe-Fadrosh EA, Lee CK, Clavel T. A blueprint for contemporary studies of microbiomes. Microbiome 2025.
• Dufour I, Bindels LB, Goffin E. Ponsegromab for the Treatment of Cancer Cachexia. N Engl J Med 2025.
• Delzenne NM, Bindels LB, Neyrinck AM, Walter J. The gut microbiome and dietary fibres: implications in obesity, cardiometabolic diseases and cancer. Nat Rev Microbiol 2025.
• Thibaut MM, Bindels LB. Crosstalk between bile acid-activated receptors and microbiome in entero-hepatic inflammation. Trends Mol Med 2022 (cited 100 times).
• Delzenne NM, Bindels LB. Food for thought about manipulating gut bacteria. Nature 2020.
• Bindels LB, Delzenne NM, Cani PD, Walter J. Opinion: towards a more comprehensive concept for prebiotics. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2015 (cited 753 times).
Last updated: July 2025
Unités d'enseignement pour 2025
| Libellé | Code |
|---|---|
| Atelier informatique et de recherche bibliographique appliquée au médicament | WFARM1239 |
| Génétique et biotechnologie pharmaceutiques | WFARM1383 |
| Processus de découverte, de développement et de mise sur le marché du médicament | WFARM2128 |
| Pharmacocinétique, pharmacogénomique et toxicologie | WFARM2139 |
| Analyse des médicaments issus des biotechnologies | WFARM2266 |
| Introduction à la toxicologie analytique | WFARM2502 |
| Pharmacodépendance et toxicomanie | WFARM2514 |
| Data management | WPMTX2004 |
| Nutrition et environnement : aspects biologique et toxicologique | WSBIM2137 |
| Innovation and research in nutrition | WSBIM2138 |
| Causes and risk factors for cancer | WSBIM2143 |
| Nutrition et environnement : aspect sociétal | WSBIM2237 |
| Special issues in cancerology | WSBIM2244 |
| In-session seminar in biomedicine | WSBIM2245 |