Pierre Close obtained his PhD in Molecular Cancer Biology at University of Liège in 2006. He then move to London as post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Prof. Svejstrup at the London Research Institute (Cancer Research UK; EMBO fellow 2006-2009) where he became interested in studying RNA and gene expression regulation. He established his own lab at GIGA Institute (ULIEGE, Liege, Belgium) in 2013. Over the last 10 years, his lab made seminal discoveries in the fields of mRNA translation, tRNA epitranscriptomics and cancer. His lab uncovered the importance of wobble tRNA modifications in the reprogramming of mRNA translation that supports tumor development and phenotype switching in cancer. His work has strongly contributed to highlighting the reprogramming of mRNA translation as a central mechanism driving the adaptation of tumor cells during cancer progression and response to therapy. Pr. Pierre Close is Senior FNRS & WELBIO investigator, director of the lab of cancer signaling at GIGA-Institute (ULIEGE). Today, Pierre Close’s lab studies the importance of tRNA modifications and specific mRNA translation reprogramming as a driver of cancer heterogeneity and interaction with tumor immune microenvironment.
Pierre Close
Professor, FNRS & WELBIO Senior investigator, ULIEGE-Giga Institute
