Merial Award Parasitology

The Merial Award is a competitive prize for young researchers who have made innovative contributions to the fields of veterinary or medical Parasitology. Scientists younger than 40 years of age who have completed their PhD studies are eligible. Along with the certificate honouring the achievement, the winner receives € 3000. The award is intended to encourage continued professional ambition in parasitology in the Benelux, and to reward scientific quality and active dissemination of results in (inter)national fora.

Winners of the previous years

2017 2016 2015	Guy Caljon (UA) Bruno Levecke (UG) Pètra Mens (KIT)	2007 2005	Stefan Magez (VUB) Filip Claes (ITM)
2014	Pierrick Uzureau (VUB)	2004	Niko Speybroeck (ITM)
2013	Stijn Deborggraeve (ITM)	2003	Véronique Hannaert
2012	Teun Bousema (NL)	2001	Milly van Dijk
2011	Johannes Charlier (UG)	2000	Jaap van Hellemond (NL)
2010	Tine Huyse (ITM/KUL)	1999	Lisette van Lieshout
2009	Peter Geldhof (UG)	1998	Edwin Claerebout (UG)
2008	Taco Kooij (NL)	1997	Maria Yazdanbakhsh
		1996	Lodewijk Tielens (NL)

Price for best presentation

Every year, the best presentation at the annual scientific meeting of the society is rewarded with 500 euros. From 2016 onward, AVIA-gis is sponsoring this prize.

In 2014 and 2015, this prize was sponsored by Dafra Pharma.

The price for the best presentation was sponsored for many years by Janssen Animal Health, until 2011. Elanco Animal Health sponsored the award for the best presentations in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Winners of the previous years

2016	Eline Eberhardt (UA)	Molecular detection of infection homogeneity and impact of miltefosine treatment in a Syrian Golden hamster model of Leishmania donovani and L. infantum visceral leishmaniasis
2015	Ana González-Hernández (UG)	Analysis of the vaccine-induced immunity against gastrointestinal parasites suggests a crucial role for mucosal IgG1 and memory NK cell responses
2014	Natascha Chavatte (UG)	Free-living protozoa on dishcloths: occurrence, diversity and possible implications for food safety
2013	Dung Bui Thi (ULg)	Transmission aspects of fasciolosis in Vietnam
2012	Steven Odongo (VUB)	Nanobody is a new tool for diagnosis of animal African trypanosomiasis (nagana)
2011	Simba Chitanga(ITM)	Low level diminazene aceturate resistance in African trypanosomes, in the absence of drug pressure
2010	Laetitia Lempereur (Ulg)	First molecular evidence of potentially zoonotic Babesia microti and Babesia sp.EU1 in Ixodes ricinus ticks in Belgium
2009	Rachel Inocencio da Luz (UA)	Post-treatment susceptibility to SbIII andSbV of Leishmania infantum dog isolates
2008	Nyncke Deckers (ITM)	Nanobodies as a tool for species specific diagnosis of porcine cysticercosis (Taenia lium)".
2007	Peter Geldhof (UG)	Characterization of the intestinal contortinstructure in Haemonchus contortus
2006	Cedric Verveken(ITM)	Induction of humoral and cellular immune response in cattle by jet-injection of a DNA vaccine encoding the polymorphicimmunodominant molecule of Theileria parva
2005	Heide Saverwyns(UG)	Study of the interaction between adult Ostertagia ostertagi excretory-secretory products and bovine abomasal proteins by cDNA phage display

The aim of this € 500 grant is to support young members to present their work at international conferences. Any registered and active PhD student of our society can apply for the grant provided that he had an abstract accepted by the conference for which he applies. The competitive selection is done by the BSPP board members.

Zoetis travel grant

Guidelines for Zoetis travel grant

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The 2017 travel Grant as awarded to Franck Dumetz (Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp) to attend the WorldLeish6 conference, Toledo (Spain), May 16-20, 2017.(click here to access the report).

The 2016 travel Grant was awarded to Eline Eberhardt (University of Antwerp) to attend the Joint COST Action CM1307 2nd Conference/ WG2 and WG3 Meetings organized by the Institute of Nuclear Sciences VINCA of Belgrade, Serbia, October 26-28, 2015. (click here to access the report).

The 2015 travel Grant was awarded to Eliane Tihon (Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp) to attend the 25th International Conference of the World Association for the advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP) held in Liverpool from 16 to 20 August 2015 (click here to access the report).

The 2014 travel Grant was awarded to Sarah Hendrickx (University of Antwerp) to attend the COST1307/CaPF meeting in Calvi, Corsica, from 27-29 October 2014 (click here to access the report).

The 2013 travel grant was awarded to Lynn Meurs (ITM) to attend the 62nd Annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene on 13-17 November 2013 in Washington, DC (click here to access the report).

The 2012 grant was awarded to Grietje Grit (University of Ghent) to attend the 12th International Symposium on Dendritic cells, October 7-11 2012, Daegu, South Korea (click here to access the report).

News

Bregt Decorte (UGent) was awarded the Huvepharma award for the best oral presentation at the BSPP meeting on 26th of November 2024 in Liège.

Title of the presentation: LONGITUDINAL FOLLOW-UP OF GIARDIA INFECTION IN DOGS SHOWS IMPAIRED IMMUNE DEVELOPMENT

Rebecca Sadler (KULeuven) was awarded the Avia-Gis award for the best poster presentation at the BSPP meeting on 26th of November 2024 in Liège.

Title of the presentation: The role of CD8+ T cells and IFN-γ in Malaria-Associated Acute Kidney Injury (MAKI).

The 2024 Zoetis travel Grant was awarded to Miriam Shigoley (UHasselt) to attend the XI International Symposium on Fish Parasites to be held in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico from January 20th to 24th, 2025.

The 2023 Zoetis travel Grant was awarded to Kayhan Ilbeigi (UA) to attend the Advancements in Structural and Functional Drug Discovery of Vector-borne Diseases conference in Oxford, UK (3-5 July, 2024). Read about his experience here.

Ruben Schols (KULeuven) was awarded the Huvepharma award for the best poster presentation at the BSPP meeting on 30th of November 2023 in Leuven.

Title of the presentation: The snail-trematode-microbiome tripartite interaction: From lab manipulations to the field.

Fran Prenen (KULeuven) was awarded the Avia-Gis award for the best oral presentation at the BSPP meeting on 30th of November 2023 in Leuven.

Title of the presentation: impaired glucocorticoid receptor signaling disrupts glucose immunometabolism in malaria.

Mathieu Claes was awarded the Avia-GIS award for the best oral presentation at the BSPP meeting on 11th November 2022 in Leuven.

Title of the presentation:IL-27 IN AFRICAN TRYPANOSOMES: A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD IN PARASITE CONTROL.

The 2022 Zoetis travel Grant was awarded to Georgios Petrellis (ULiege) to attend the "Parasitic Helminths: New Perspectives in Biology and Infection conference (Hydra, Greece)".

Leen Vandermosten (KUL) won the 2022 art competition.

Two 2021 Zoetis travel Grants were awarded to Laura Dirkx (UA) and Senne Heere (ITM) both to attend the WorldLeish7 conference in Cartagena, Colombia (1-6 August, 2022). Read about Senne's and Laura's experience here.

Ganna Saelens (UGent) was awarded the Avia-GIS award for the best oral presentation at the BSPP meeting on 30th November 2021 in Antwerp.

Title of the presentation:

Transmissibility of anisakidae allergenic peptides from animal feed to chicken meat.

Katlijn De Meulenaere (ITM) was awarded the BSPP award for the best oral presentation at the BSPP meeting on 30th November 2021 in Antwerp.

Title of the presentation:

p. vivax schizont transcriptomes reveal pvtrag variation linked to band 3-mediated invasion in invasion assays.

Emilie Pollenus (KULeuven) was awarded the Huvepharma award for the best poster presentation at the BSPP meeting on 30th November 2021 in Antwerp.

Title of the presentation:

classical nk cells are important in the resolution of experimental malaria-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Dont' forget to register for the BSPP 2021 scientific meeting on

Tuesday 30th November 2021. The meeting venue will be at campus “klooster van de Grauwzusters” (Lange Sint-Annastraat 7, 2000 Antwerpen), at walking distance from Antwerp Central station. Registration and abstract submission can be done at https://www.bspp.be/bspp-meetings/2021-in-antwerp/

The 2019 BSPP travel Grant was awarded to Dorien Mabille Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH) to attend the BSP/BSPP/NVP Spring Meeting in Manchester, UK, 15-17 April 2019. Read about her experience here.

The 2019 Avia-Gis travel Grant was awarded to Dimitri Bulte Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH) to attend the BSP/BSPP/NVP Spring Meeting in Manchester, UK, 15-17 April 2019. Read about his experience here.

The 2019 Zoetis travel Grant was awarded to Lieselotte Van Bockstal Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH) to attend the BSP/BSPP/NVP Spring Meeting in Manchester, UK, 15-17 April 2019. Read about her experience here.

Internist-infectioloog Meta Roestenberg van het Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum (LUMC) ontvangt de Boehringer-Ingelheim prijs voor haar onderzoek in de translationele parasitologie. Roestenberg werkt aan experimentele klinische studies die moeten leiden tot een snellere en goedkopere ontwikkeling van nieuwe medicijnen en vaccins. More info.

The 2018 Zoetis travel Grant was awarded to Irina Matetovici (Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp) to attend the The European Congress of Entomology (Naples,Italy), 2-6 July, 2018. Read about her experience here.