Thibault Vantieghem

Research

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling is a critical regulator of adult tissue homeostasis and plays a central role in cancer development and progression. Despite its therapeutic potential, current approaches predominantly target TGF-β signaling in a systemic and non-selective manner, often resulting in significant on-target toxicities and undesired side effects. Therefore, strategies that allow selective modulation of TGF-β signaling in malignant cells are urgently needed.

My research focuses on the development of bispecific antibodies targeting the TGF-β pathway to enable selective modulation of TGF-β signaling in cancer cells. By combining receptor targeting with cell-specific recognition, this approach aims to restrict pathway modulation to malignant cells while sparing healthy tissues. Ultimately, this work seeks to contribute to the development of more effective and safer anti-cancer therapeutics based on precise control of TGF-β pathway activity.

Curriculum Vitae

I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences (2016–2019) and Master’s degree in Drug Development (2019–2021) at KU Leuven, Belgium. During my Master’s thesis in the Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, I worked on optimizing protein crystallization to enable structure-based drug discovery, focusing on the LEDGF PWWP domain, an epigenetic reader involved in HIV infection and MLL-rearranged leukemia.

I continued this work as a PhD researcher in the same laboratory, supported by an FWO Strategic Basic Research fellowship. In 2025, I obtained my PhD with a thesis entitled “Structure-based design of small-molecule and protein ligands targeting the LEDGF PWWP domain.” My doctoral research combined computational approaches, including molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and AI-driven protein design pipelines, with experimental validation using biophysical binding assays, fragment-based screening and X-ray crystallography. This integrated strategy enabled the development of novel protein and small-molecule ligands targeting this epigenetic reader domain.

Currently, I am a postdoctoral researcher in the group of Prof. Peter ten Dijke, where I

focus on the development of novel cell-specific anti-cancer therapeutics targeting the TGF-β pathway.