Immunology

The research group Immunology (IMMU) groups the teaching on Immunology, Hematology and Microbiology of the faculty of Medicine.Most of the teaching staffmembers also have appointments in clinical departements of the university hospital. IMMU harbours several research groups clustered around two main topics: A/ Biology and treatment of haematological diseases. This activity is spread over the departments of Clinical Haematology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Clinical Laboratory of Haematology and Immunology, Blood Transfusion Centre Jette and the basic research laboratory at the faculty. Following specific subjects are under study: 1. Biology of multiple myeloma and related diseases; 2. Molecular and phenotypic follow-up of B cell malignancies during therapy; 3. Stem cell processing for clinical transplantation; 4. Analysis of phenotype of haemopoietic stem cells in health and disease; 5. Homing of mesenchymal stem cell in bone marrow 5. MHC dysregulation in haematological malignancies; 6. Molecular analysis of antithrombine deficiency. B/ Diagnosis, epidemiology and treatment of infectious diseases. This activity is located in the Clinical Laboratory for Microbiology of the AZ-VUB, that includes bacteriology, parasitology, mycology, virology and serology, as well as the AIDS reference laboratory and the center for molecular diagnosis. Following specific subjects are under study: 1. Study of Verocytotoxin-producing E.coli infections. 2. Study of Ureaplasma urealyticum infections. 3. Study of congenital toxoplasmosis. 4. New molecular techniques for diagnosis of infectious diseases. 5. Antimicrobial susceptibility of pathogens (among others anaerobic bacteria, HIV,...) 6. Surveillance of nosocomial infections. 7. Epidemiological typing of infectious agents. 8. Reference activity for the program 'Sentinel laboratories' of the service of epidemiology of the Scientific Institute of Public Health: B. pertussis, Legionella pneumophila, Verocytotoxin-producing E. coli and C. diphteriae.