Étienne Bélanger Receives the IAS/ANRS Lange/van Tongeren Prize for Young Investigators

Étienne Bélanger, a PhD candidate in Andrés Finzi’s laboratory (immunopathology research area), is one of six recipients of the 2026 IAS/ANRS Lange/van Tongeren Prize for Young Investigators. Presented on July 28 during the 2026 International AIDS Conference, held in Rio de Janeiro, this US$2,000 prize supports early-career researchers who demonstrate innovation, originality, rigour, and excellence in HIV/AIDS research.

“Receiving this prize came as a real surprise,” said Étienne Bélanger. “AIDS is the world’s largest conference on HIV, and I never thought a student from Montreal could be recognized in this way. It is incredibly rewarding to receive this recognition, and it is a great source of motivation. I would like to thank Andrés Finzi for his support and bold approach, all the members of the laboratory, and Alexandra Tauzin, who was a tremendous help on this project.”

Naturally curious, he developed a passion for research at a very young age through his participation in Expo Science. That thirst for knowledge has never left him. Originally from Gatineau, he began doing research at age 17 and pursued a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences at the University of Ottawa before starting a master’s degree in microbiology and immunology at the Université de Montréal in Andrés Finzi’s laboratory. After fast-tracking into the PhD program in microbiology and immunology, he began working in the same laboratory on his current research project.

HIV/AIDS and the Immune System

The project for which he received the IAS/ANRS Lange/van Tongeren Prize for Young Investigators, “CD4 downregulation protects HIV-1-infected cells from antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis mediated by plasma from people with HIV-1,” first aims to understand how HIV evades the immune response.

The second objective is to develop strategies to sensitize HIV-infected cells to antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP). ADCP is an important immune mechanism for eliminating infections, but it remains little studied in the context of HIV/AIDS. This is why this new foundational study could make a meaningful contribution to efforts to combat HIV.