Prof Wim Steelant obtained his B.Sc. in Chemistry in 1992 at the Saint-Lieven College, Ghent, Belgium and his M.Sc. in Chemistry at the West-Brabant College, The Netherlands, in 1993. He acquired his PhD in Biomedical sciences in 2000 at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. From 2000 till 2002 he was a research associate at the Pacific Northwest Research institute, University of Washington, Seattle. He became professor in 2002 at the Department of Chemistry, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. His research interests are the biological evaluation of medicinal plants from the South West and mechanisms of cancer cell invasion. The laboratory collaborates with Biomoda, Inc. of Albuquerque, NM on clinical studies and the development of diagnostic tools for early cancer detection.

Prof Severine Van slambrouck graduated in pharmaceutical sciences in 2000at Ghent University,  Belgium and obtained her PhD in October 2006 at the Department of Chemistry, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, New Mexico. From November 2006 till December 2007 she was a post-doctoral research associate in the laboratory of biochemical and biomedical research at the same institution. She became associate research professor in 2008. Her main research interests are mechanisms of cancer cell invasion, with the emphasis on lipids, proteins and signal transduction. She is also engaged in the biological evaluation of local medicinal plants and novel synthetic components. The laboratory collaborates with Biomoda, Inc. of Albuquerque, NM on clinical studies and the development of diagnostic tools for early cancer detection.