prof. Dmitri Krysko (MD, PhD)

CRIG group leader
Dmitri Krysko


Associate Professor, Head of Cell Death Investigation and Therapy (CDIT) Laboratory, Department of Human Structure and Repair, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Member of The Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium (KAGB)
 

Research focus

In the Krysko team, we focus on the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of immunogenic cell death modalities, with a particular interest on:
Immunogenic cell death: mechanisms, immune responses and cell-based cancer therapy 
The type of cancer cell death determines the antitumour immune response and, therefore, contributes to the efficiency of anti-cancer therapy and long-term survival of patients. In mammals, many forms of regulated cancer cell death can occur, including apoptosis, necroptosis and ferroptosis. Within this research project, the CDIT lab strives to understand the molecular mechanisms of immunogenicity of different regulated cell death modalities and to develop novel experimental cancer immunotherapy based on dendritic cell vaccines for glioblastoma and melanoma.
Cancer spheroids and tumour microenvironment 
Cancer spheroids are one of the most widely used 3D models which resemble better the tumour microenvironment. The next major focus of CDIT lab is to fully understand the immunomodulatory role of cancer cell death in a three-dimensional context and determine the role of tumour microenvironment on the modulation of immunogenicity of cancer cells.
Therapeutic strategies to modulate immunogenicity of cancer cell death
Within this research project, the CDIT strives to develop novel experimental combinational strategies based on photodynamic therapy and nano-and bio-materials to improve immunological responses to cell death for cancer cell-based immunotherapy. Here, the focus is also on the identification of novel photosensitizers in the near-infrared spectrum for glioblastoma and melanoma therapy in collaboration with AGFA company.
 

Biography

Prof. Dmitri V. Krysko obtained an M.D. degree with the greatest distinction from the Saratov State Medical University (Russia). During the medical studies he undertook numerous trainings in the top university including university hospital of Heidelberg and Mannheim (Germany) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA). Prof. Krysko obtained his Ph.D. degree in Medical and Health Sciences from Ghent University in 2006 under promotorship of Prof. K. D’Herde and Prof. P. Vandenabeele. He became a laureate of numerous prestigious scientific Awards:

  • 2023: an elected member of The Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium (KAGB, Belgium).

  • 2022: an elected expert of the Supreme Health Council of Belgium (Belgium) 

  • 2021: Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer Best Tumor Immunology Paper Award (USA)

  • 2020: Elected top 50 people in Medicine by version of Sobaka.ru. (Russia)

  • 2019: GSK Vaccine and The Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium Award in Immunology (Belgium)

  • 2019: AstraZeneca Foundation, FWO and FNRS Award in Oncology (Belgium)

  • 2019: Alavi–Mandell Award from The Education and Research Foundation for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging for the best paper award (USA)

  • 2006: Annual Belgian Society for Microscopy Award in Life Sciences “Outstanding PhD thesis” (Belgium)

  • 1998: 1st place in the contest of scientific works at the 59th of Annual Meetings of young scientists in Saratov State Medical University, Saratov, Russia

  • 1998: 1st place and scientific award of Regional Public Support Fund for talented students and youth after N.I. Vavilov for the best scientific report in "medicine" at the conference "Youth and Science at the beginning of the XXI century" in the Saratov State University. Saratov, Russia

  • 1997: 1st place in the contest of scientific works at the 57th of Annual Meetings of young scientists in Saratov State Medical University, Saratov, Russia


From October 2016 Prof. Krysko is appointed as Associate Professor at the Department of Human Structure and Repair at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences in Ghent University where he has established the CDIT laboratory. In 2017, he spent four months in the laboratory of Prof. V. Kagan in Pittsburgh University (USA), the world leader in the field of oxidative lipidomics of ferroptosis. During his carrier, Prof. Krysko obtained several postdoctoral scholarships from the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO, Belgium) in the group of Prof. P. Vandenabeele (VIB-Ghent University).

Prof. Krysko is an Associate Editor of “Frontiers in Immunology” (the Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy section; impact factor 5.7, Q1) and an Editorial Board Member of “Apoptosis” (impact factor 6.1, Q1); “Cells” (impact factor 5.1, Q2); and “Current Cancer Therapy Reviews”.

Prof. Krysko is a guest editor of special issues on “Photodynamic therapy in cancer: principles, state of the art, and future directions” (2024, Pharmaceutics, IF 4.9) and on “Clearance of dead cells: mechanisms, immune responses and implication in the development of diseases”. (2010, Apoptosis, IF 4.1) and an editor of a book: “Phagocytosis of dying cells: from molecular mechanisms to human diseases.” 454p., Springer, 2009, ISBN: 978-1-4020-9292-3.

Prof. Krysko is a member of the expert panel for grant reviewing in the Research Foundation -Flanders (Cross-Domain Panel), he is an elected expert of The Supreme Health Council of Belgium and elected member of The Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium (KAGB).

Prof. Krysko organized:

  • The 30th ICDS Conference “Cell death: mechanisms, immunity and clinical applications” May 24-26, 2024, Ghent, Belgium. Organizers: DV Krysko (BE), R Lockshin (USA) and Z Zakeri (USA). 

  • The First EMBO Workshop “Phagocytosis of dying cells: molecules, mechanisms, and therapeutic implications” October 24-27, 2018, Ghent, Belgium. Organizers: KS Ravichandran (USA/BE) and DV Krysko (BE). Co-organizers: K Lauber (GE), F Peri (CH), P Agostinis (BE) and P Vandenabeele (BE).

  • The First Ghent University – Kanazawa University Joint Seminar on “Cell death modalities: regulation, phagocytosis and relevance to diseases.” February 6, 2018, Ghent, Belgium. Organizers: DV Krysko (BE) and P Vandenabeele (BE). 

  • 33 European SocieTy for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) Conference, April 4-8, 2014, Vienna, Austria. Course directors: P. Lambin and DV Krysko. Radiobiology pre-meeting course: current advancements in immunotherapy and radiotherapy.
     

Research team

Key publications

  • ‘Immunogenicity of ferroptosis in cancer: a matter of context?’ Trends in Cancer, 2024 (PMID: 38368244).
  • 'Targeting immunogenic cell death for glioma immunotherapy.' Trends in Cancer, 2024 (PMID: 37973489)
  • ‘Mechanobiology of ferroptotic cancer cells as a novel "Eat-Me" signal: regulating efferocytosis through layer-by-layer coating’. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2023 (PMID: 37273241)
  • ‘DC vaccines loaded with glioma cells killed by photodynamic therapy induce Th17 anti-tumor immunity and provide a four-gene signature for glioma prognosis’. Cell Death and Disease, 2022 (PMID: 36539408)
  • ‘Ferroptosis and photodynamic therapy synergism: enhancing anticancer Treatment’. Trends in Cancer, 2021 (PMID: 33640304)
  • ‘Targeting immunogenic cancer cell death by photodynamic therapy: past, present and future’. Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer, 2021 (PMID: 33431631)
  • ‘Vaccination with early ferroptotic cancer cells induces efficient antitumor immunity’. Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer, 2020 (PMID: 33188036)
  • 'Ferroptosis at the cross-roads of cancer-acquired drug resistance and immune evasion.’ Nature Reviews Cancer, 2019 (PMID: 31101865)
  • ‘Immunogenic cell death induced by a new photodynamic therapy based on photosens and photodithazine’. Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer, 2019. (PMID: 31842994)
  • 'Vaccination with necroptotic cancer cells induces efficient anti-tumor immunity'. Cell Reports, 2016 (PMID: 27050509)
  • 'Immunogenic cell death and DAMPs in cancer therapy.' Nature Reviews Cancer, 2012 (PMID: 23151605)
     

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