This article is excerpted from Omalius magazine #40 (March 2026)

Launched in November 2024, the Interreg France-Wallonia-Flanders cross-border project ORION aims to develop assessment tools based on predictive modeling to better understand and manage water quality in the context of global climate change. Through a comprehensive approach, it will enable the assessment, monitoring, and even prediction of the water quality of the Meuse River and the health of its ecosystems.

The ORION consortium, led by the University of Reims Champagne-Ardennes (URCA), brings together six operators and nine partners, including universities, research laboratories, and water management agencies in France, Wallonia, and Flanders. They work within the framework of a multidisciplinary collaboration involving biology, microbiology, parasitology, ecology, ecotoxicology, chemistry, and modeling.

At UNamur, one of the consortium’s six partners, the expertise being leveraged is that of Professor Eli Thoré, a member of the Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology (URBE) within the Department of Biology and a researcher at the Institute of Life, Earth, and the Environment (ILEE). Eli Thoré and his colleagues contribute in particular to the assessment of ecotoxicological risks and environmental diagnostics under real-world conditions, including in degraded environments.

This phase, which involves exposing the animals to their natural environment, makes it possible to assess the concentrations of bioaccumulated pollutants and their impact on the animals’ health. Combined with concentration measurements taken directly from the water, these innovative tools enable a reliable assessment of water quality in the Meuse River basin. 

The process begins with an assessment of potential sites using pressure maps (Meuse, Sambre, Chiers) established during the previous phase of the project. This is followed by on-site validation, which takes into account parameters such as depth, current, temperature, pH, oxygenation, and sunlight exposure. 

Throughout the process, researchers pay particular attention to ensuring the well-being of the caged animals. To reduce their stress during the three-week experiment, researchers check the stability of the riverbed and the ability to securely anchor the cages to prevent any movement. Logistical and safety criteria are also taken into account, such as site accessibility, the tranquility of the location to minimize the risk of damage, and compatibility with other sentinel species, ideally located nearby. The objective of the field survey is therefore to confirm that the sites proposed by the maps are truly suitable, safe, and respectful of animal welfare.

Once the animals have been caged and placed in their natural environment, the research moves into a diagnostic and integrative phase. The animals are collected and analyzed to determine which contaminants they have bioaccumulated and how this exposure has affected their physiological condition and health. By linking measured contaminant concentrations to biological responses, the study allows for an assessment of the actual ecotoxicological pressure exerted by the aquatic environment, rather than relying solely on chemical measurements of the water itself.

In 2017, Professor (now Emeritus) Patrick Kestemont was part of the DIADeM consortium, another cross-border project that had set itself two major objectives: 

1. To measure the effect of a cocktail of pharmaceuticals on the populations of ecosystems in the Meuse River and its tributaries 
2. To develop methodological tools for watercourse managers to improve water quality assessment.

The project was a success, as evidenced by its results: 

• Six methodological guides and a multi-species caging approach.
• A dozen scientific articles and a public exhibition featuring more than 20 panels: “The Health of Our Rivers: In Danger?”
• Strengthened collaboration between URCA, the University of Namur, the University of Liège, and various stakeholders in the water sector in France and Wallonia.

By bringing together various stakeholders and developing innovative tools, the ORION project helps protect water quality and ensure a healthy environment for everyone: local governments, public authorities, higher education and research institutions, and the general public. 

For the MSCA Doctoral Networks 2025 call, 1,616 proposals were submitted and 141 were selected, representing a success rate of 9.6%. In this highly competitive environment, the selection of three projects involving UNamur sends a strong signal: it confirms the scientific excellence of Namur’s teams and their ability to build high-level international partnerships in support of doctoral training and innovation. Six doctoral dissertations will be eligible for funding.

In many neurological diseases, both inflammation of the nervous system and imbalances in the gut microbiota are observed. GlycoAxis aims to go beyond simple correlations by identifying the molecular “messengers” that link the gut, the immune system, and the brain. The project focuses on complex sugars found on the surface of certain bacteria (glycans), which are suspected of playing a key role in immune activation and neuroinflammation. The goal: to better understand these mechanisms and pave the way for new diagnostic tools, imaging techniques, or biomarkers for brain health.

In the face of climate change, pollution, and habitat fragmentation, some ecosystems weather the shocks… while others collapse. ReDiLeep focuses on a key driver of this resilience: response diversity—that is, the fact that different species (or ecological functions) do not all react in the same way to a disturbance. The project aims to better measure and model this mechanism in order to link research more directly to the needs of conservation, restoration, and public policy regarding biodiversity.

Our digital communications rely on light: optical fibers, sensors, and photonic circuits capable of processing information. But with the explosion of data, the rise of AI, and the advent of ever-faster networks, it is becoming crucial to control light dynamically—much faster than is possible with current components, which are often “static.” SPARK is exploring a new approach: combining spatiotemporal metamaterials (nanoscale structures designed to shape light) with light that is itself “structured” in space and time. The result: reconfigurable photonic technologies for computing, imaging, and ultra-fast communications.

Giacomo Lopopolo is studying the effects of oxidative stress caused by radiation therapy and the damage it inflicts on cellular mitochondria, particularly in the treatment of lung cancer. Objective: to determine the necessary doses in treatment plans for conventional radiotherapy or proton therapy to ensure effective treatment while improving the patient’s quality of life. This interdisciplinary project also benefits from the expertise of Professor Thierry Arnould, co-supervisor (URBC). 

For her part, Keïla Openge-Navenge is attempting to decipher the mechanisms of radiation resistance at work in breast, lung, and colorectal cancers, and in particular the role of lipid metabolism, ferroptosis, and mitochondria within cancer cells. 

Jade Nichols, who has just joined UNamur, is launching a Télévie project to understand the response of macrophages—which play an essential role in shaping the tumor microenvironment—to ultra-high-dose-rate (UHDR) radiation, a phenomenon that has not yet been explored and whose results could eventually help optimize treatment strategies that leverage both radiation and the patient’s own immune responses.

Inès Bourriez focuses her research on skin cancers, which account for 40% of all cancers diagnosed today. She is interested in the impact of skin aging and the accumulation of so-called senescent cells on tumor development and progression. 

Understanding how cells react to radiation is also the focus of projects led by Emma Lambert, on the one hand, and Manon Van Den Abbeel, on the other, through a collaboration with Anne-Catherine Heuskin at LARN. Manon Van Den Abbeel is studying the irradiation conditions that induce the strongest possible immune response to circumvent the various immunosuppressive mechanisms developed within tumors, thereby enhancing the immunogenicity of tumors and thus their recognition and destruction by the immune system. 

Emma Lambert, meanwhile, is launching a project on glioblastoma, an aggressive and currently incurable brain tumor, to better understand the resistance mechanisms that develop during combination treatments using chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or proton therapy. 

As for Eloïse Rapport, she is interested in a third form of radiation therapy, using alpha particles—that is, ionized helium atoms—to increase the death of cancer cells within tumors. In particular, she is studying the different forms of induced cell death and their potential immunogenicity. 

Pancreatic cancer, particularly pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), remains one of the deadliest cancers, with a five-year survival rate of only 13%. Because the disease is often asymptomatic in its early stages, it is frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage. This situation, coupled with the lack of effective treatments and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment that limits the efficacy of immunotherapies, explains the poor prognosis of PDAC. Early detection of this type of cancer is therefore crucial, but current diagnostic tools have limited sensitivity and specificity. 

As it has done every year for the past 23 years, the UNamur community is organizing a series of events to raise funds for the Télévie campaign. In 2026, students have been particularly active through three initiatives.

On March 12, the Student General Assembly brought the house down at the Arsenal during the second edition of the Grand Blind Test at UNamur. It was a fun-filled evening that brought together some thirty teams of staff and students to compete on the biggest hits of the past 30 years, and, thanks to the support of sponsors, raised €6,338.91. 

Finally, the Namur Computer Club dedicated its 24-hour charity livestream on the Twitch platform. Over the course of the hours, and thanks to the generosity, activities, and challenges taken on by the Club’s members, a generous sum of €1,831.91 was donated to Télévie. 

Well done to everyone! 

Over the past two decades, Carine Michiels, professor of cell biology at UNamur and member of the radiobiology group at UNamur's life sciences research institute (NARILIS), has significantly advanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the interaction between radiation and cancer cells. Within the Institute's cancer center, her research is based on a strong integration of cell biology and radiation physics, supported by a long-standing collaboration with the Institute's physicists, Professor Stéphane Lucas and Professor Anne-Catherine Heuskin. By bridging the gap between biology and physics, his team has conducted cutting-edge interdisciplinary research with the aim of improving the effectiveness of radiation therapy for cancer. 

One of their main achievements is the development of innovative therapeutic approaches that combine advanced irradiation techniques, such as proton therapy, with unique nanohybrid compounds. These compounds, consisting of gold nanoparticles coupled with targeted antibodies, act as radiosensitizers, increasing the sensitivity of cancer cells to radiation while limiting damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

By paving the way for more precise and personalized cancer treatments, Carine Michiels' research is fully in line with the objectives of the SCK CEN Chair. Her achievements illustrate how fundamental research in radiation sciences can translate into significant advances in medicine and public health.

The University of Namur and SCK CEN have been collaborating for many years, notably through joint research projects and co-supervision of theses, including most recently that of Naomi Daems, for which Carine Michiels and Stéphane Lucas were co-supervisors alongside Professor Sarah Baatout (SCK CEN).  Thanks to the latter, Carine Michiels joined the group of experts of the Belgian delegation to UNSCEAR (United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation), an international UN committee set up to assess the effects of ionizing radiation on human health and the environment.

In addition to receiving a personal award, the SCK CEN Chair holder will give an inaugural lecture and a series of lectures for students, SCK CEN researchers, and the Belgian nuclear community in general during a scientific visit to the Research Center in Mol, Belgium. The series of lectures will be organized in collaboration with the SCK CEN Academy.