Prof. Diether Lambrechts (KU Leuven/VIB) receives the Francqui-Collen Prize 2026

The Francqui-Collen Prize has been regarded as the pinnacle of academic achievement in Belgium since 1932 and is sometimes referred to by scientists as the “Belgian Nobel Prize.” The award honors Belgian scientists whose pioneering research has significantly advanced their fields. An international jury of leading experts, including several former Nobel Prize winners, grants this distinction annually to outstanding Belgian talent.

Professor Diether Lambrechts (KU Leuven/VIB) receives the prize for his research into identifying the most effective treatments for cancer tumors. Using a specialized technique, his team studies tumors cell by cell. This enabled them to discover precisely how cancer cells evade the immune system and which cells respond well to treatment. His data have since become indispensable to researchers around the world.

What makes his work particularly remarkable is his close collaboration within the pharmaceutical and medical ecosystem, ensuring that his findings do not remain confined to the laboratory but actually reach patients. For both colorectal and ovarian cancer, he and his team identified two specific biomarkers—measurable indicators that provide information about the underlying disease process within the cancer. Using these indicators, physicians can obtain a clear “yes” or “no” answer as to whether a patient is likely to benefit from a specific treatment, such as immunotherapy.

“Millions of biomarkers have been described in science, but very few researchers succeed in truly making a difference for someone who receives a cancer diagnosis today or tomorrow. That is what drives us,” says Prof. Lambrechts proudly.

Where researchers previously depended on the United States for these specific analyses, today, thanks to Prof. Lambrechts’ tests, they can be carried out in Belgium, making them significantly more affordable and accessible.

“In Belgium, we are often still too modest. In the United States, researchers would be jumping on tables with excitement after such breakthroughs. I always tell my students: be ambitious and dare to trust your data,” emphasizes Professor Lambrechts.

Prof. Lambrechts of the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology joins a distinguished list of KU Leuven researchers who have been honored by the Francqui Foundation. At VIB, previous recipients include Prof. Sarah-Maria Fendt (2023, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology), Prof. Bart Lambrecht (2014, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research), Prof. Pierre Vanderhaeghen (2011, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain Research), Prof. Dirk Inzé (2005, VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology), and Prof. Peter Carmeliet (2002, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology), all of whom had the honor of receiving this prestigious award.

“We are therefore particularly delighted that Professor Diether Lambrechts is being awarded the Francqui-Collen Prize this year,” says KU Leuven Rector Sévérine Vermeire. “This prestigious distinction recognizes internationally leading research. Professor Lambrechts embodies the power of research-driven innovation that our university strongly promotes.”

Christine Durinx, Managing Director of VIB, adds: “This is an exceptional and well-deserved recognition for Prof. Lambrechts, whose work demonstrates how science can truly make a difference for patients. He perfectly embodies what VIB stands for: excellent science translated into concrete solutions that have meaningful impact on people’s lives, today and tomorrow.”

Emmanuel Rottey (Press contact KU Leuven)

emmanuel.rottey@kuleuven.be

tel: +32 16 32 82 71

mobiel: +32 474 88 15 52

About VIB

VIB’s core mission is to generate disruptive insights in the molecular underpinning of life and to translate these actively into impactful innovations for patients and society. VIB is an independent research institute where some 1,800 top scientists from Belgium and abroad conduct pioneering basic research. As such, they are pushing the boundaries of what we know about molecular mechanisms and how they rule living organisms such as human beings, animals, plants, and microorganisms. Based on a close partnership with five Flemish universities – Ghent University, KU Leuven, University of Antwerp, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and Hasselt University – and supported by a solid funding program, VIB unites the expertise of all its collaborators and research groups in a single institute. VIB’s technology transfer activities translate research results into concrete benefits for society such as new diagnostics and therapies and agricultural innovations. These applications are often developed by young start-ups from VIB or through collaborations with other companies. This also leads to additional employment and bridges the gap between scientific research and entrepreneurship. VIB also engages actively in the public debate on biotechnology by developing and disseminating a wide range of science-based information. 

More info can be found on www.vib.be.

About KU Leuven

KU Leuven is Europe’s most innovative university (Reuters) and ranks 43rd in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. As Belgium's largest university, KU Leuven welcomes 65,000 students from over 140 countries. The University's more than 8,000 researchers are active in a comprehensive range of disciplines. KU Leuven is a founding member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU) and has a strong European and international orientation. University Hospitals Leuven, its network of research hospitals, provides high-quality healthcare and develops new therapeutic and diagnostic insights with an emphasis on translational research.