The Institute for Medical Immunology (IMI) is a research institute of the Medical Faculty of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). It was created in 2004 by Michel Goldman, upon establishing a partnership with an industrial partner (GSK Biologicals) and the Walloon Region. This “Private –Public Partnership” has provided sufficient financial support allowing the relocation of the former “Laboratoire d’Immunologie Expérimentale” (previously located in the University Hospital  campus (ULB, Campus Erasme, Brussels) into new facilities within the BioPark, in Gosselies (Charleroi).

The Institute is located in the BioPark of Charleroi-Brussels South where the major biomedical research infrastructures of the Université Libre de Bruxelles have been established since 1999. It currently encompasses 800 m² of laboratory surfaces including a biosafety level III unit. Equipment is organized into technology platforms dedicated to flow cytometry, cell culture, molecular biology, and micro-surgery. The Institute benefits from a highly stimulating environment comprising basic research Institutes dedicated to Molecular Biology (IBMM, ULB) and multimodal molecular imaging (CMMI, ULB and UMons) and “ImmuneHealth” a clinical research center supported by the Walloon Region and integrating a clinical investigation unit and an immunomonitoring laboratory. The Institute provides therefore a unique environment for the apprenticeship of young investigators and post-docs in the field of Clinical and Molecular Immunology. 

The Institute hosts an interdisciplinary and internationally trained team of scientists including 20 senior investigators and post-doctoral fellows, 19 PhDs students, 14 technicians and a management team of 4 individuals.

Most of the clinical and fundamental research conducted within our Institute is dedicated to neonatal immunology, transplantation and vaccinology. Neonatal immunology studies are mostly devoted to the characterization of the early immunological programming in both mouse and human models. Human studies are also conducted in a clinical setting, with a particular emphasis on congenital infections caused by CMV. The development and analysis of experimental transplantation models represent a longstanding expertise of the Institute. These models have been instrumental in developing a deep understanding of the regulation of in vivo immune responses, in particular within the field of regulatory (helper and suppressive) T cell subpopulations. These studies have also led to important clinical development, both in the field of transplantation (kidney and liver transplantation) and immunopathology (hypereosinophilic syndrome). Through the close collaboration established with GSK Biologicals, the Institute has developed a new area of research in the field of vaccinology. Our current efforts are devoted to the study of the mode of actions of new adjuvant formulations using our long standing expertise in the analysis of innate immune responses. Studies are also conducted to better understand the cellular heterogeneity of the innate immune compartment, with particular emphasis on the regulatory mechanisms responsible for differential cytokine secretion by macrophages and dendritic cells. Finally, in close collaboration with our partners GSK Biologicals and Immune Health, we have recently undertaken a series of studies to better understanding both the safety and the immunological efficacy of human vaccines.