Name Responsible Activity "Clinical Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy" "Pieter Cornu" "KFAR focuses on two lines of research: 1) hypertension and 2) clinical pharmacological and clinical pharmaceutical research. KFAR is part of the research cluster ""Center for Cardiovascular Disease""." "Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy" "Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy" "Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy" "Isabelle Huys" "The area of interest of the research group Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy is the safe and efficient use of medicinal products – including small molecules, biologicals and vaccines – in humans." "Toxicology, Dermato-cosmetology and Pharmacognosy" "Topic A: Experimental in vitro toxicology: The use of isolated hepatocytes and their cultures for pharmaco- toxicological studies with focus on phase I and phase II biotransformation of xenobiotics; liver zonation of xenobiotic transformation; cell cycle and molecules affecting cell progression and cell signaling; the role of apoptosis in cell cultures; connexins and their importance in cell signaling. Topic B: Dermato-Cosmetic Sciences: Safety and efficacy of dermato-cosmetic products with focus on the technical information file and the bioengineering technology for testing, respectively. Particular attention is given to the barrier function of the skin and the lipids (ceramides) and enzymatic systems involved. Topic C: Pharmacognosy: Study of the phytochemical and pharmacological properties of medicinal plants of exotic origin e.g. treatment of dysentery and diarrhoea in traditional medicine of Lomela. . - Topic B : Dermato-cosmetics : efficiency measurements of dermato-cosmetic products : evaluation and standardisation of new and existing methodology for efficiency measurements of dermato-cosmetic" "Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences" "Pieter Annaert" "The Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences researches a broad range of subjects spanning the entire drug discovery and development process, carries out studies on the use of medicinal products in society and guides practitioners in the field. Major areas of research are: target validation - drug discovery - medicinal chemistry - retrovirology - gene therapy - therapeutic and diagnostic antibodies - biocrystallography - pharmacology - toxicology - drug analysis - radiopharmaceutical diagnostics - pharmaceutical technology - biopharmaceutics - pharmacokinetics - exploratory clinical trials - clinical pharmacy - pharmaceutical care - pharmaco-economics - regulatory affairs.For more information about the research topics of the different research teams belonging to this department see: - Laboratory of Pharmaceutical technology and Biopharmacy - Laboratory of Clinical chemistry - Laboratory for Pharmaceutical biology and phytopharmacology - Laboratory of Analytical chemistry and medicinal physicochemistry - Laboratory of Medicinal chemistry - Laboratory of Toxicology and Food Toxicology - Laboratory of Pharmaceutical chemistry and drug analysis - Laboratory of Radiopharmaceutical chemistry - Drug and patient information office" "Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences" "The department FAFY is mainly developing research activities in the following domains: 1. The use of hepatocytes in culture and co-culture as a model for toxicity and biotransformation studies of xenobiotics: - Evaluation of the iso-enzyme pattern of hepatocytes in culture and co-culture; - Detoxification mechanisms of hepatocytes in cultures and co-cultures; - Biotransformation and toxicity of isobutene; - Biotransformation and toxicity of anti-epileptic drugs. 2. Dermato-cosmetics: - Efficiency measurements of dermato-cosmetic products; - Evaluation and standardisation of new and existing methodology for efficiency measurements of dermato-cosmetic products." "Drug Delivery and Disposition" "Guy Van den Mooter" "The research expertise at the Laboratory for Pharmacotechnology and Biopharmacy lies in the area of the physicochemical and biopharmaceutical evaluation of drug candidates and dosage forms designed for extravascular administration. The main focus is to improve drug bioavailability both by  a pharmacotechnological (new drug formulations) and a biopharmaceutical (based on knowledge of drug absorption mechanisms) approach. Pharmaceutical technology - Physical Pharmacy The Laboratory has gained considerable expertise in excipient evaluation and in different unit operations (mixing, granulation, coating, compaction) involved in the production of oral drug products. The physical chemistry of solid (molecular) dispersions prepared by hot melt extrusion or spray drying has been the focus of intensive research during the past years. It is the aim to correlate the physical structure of the dispersions to their pharmaceutical performance and stability profile. Analytical techniques such as thermal analysis (DSC, MTDSC, hot-s tage microscopy), X-ray powder diffraction, infrared  spectroscopy and in vitro (intrinsic) dissolution testing are being used for this purpose. Recently, the Laboratory has expanded his research activities with the physicochemical analysis of self micro (nano) emulsifying drug delivery systems (sm(n)edds). The influence of formulation factors and lipolysis on the structure of the micro (nano) emulsions, and the influence of the structure of the emulsions on drug release is being investigated using thermal analysis, SAXS and in vitro dissolution testing. As part of the Center for Drug Delivery and Analysis, the Laboratory is also involved in formulation development and preformulation studies ordered by pharmaceutical companies. Biopharmacy The Laboratory has expertise and facilities to perform a wide range of investigations to assess drug absorption including the in vitro Cac o-2 cell culture system, the Ussing chamber system and the in situ intestinal perfusion system.  These systems are being used to evaluate strategies to increase intestinal drug transport through modulation of the intestinal biochemical barrier function  [metabolism (estera se, CYP3A), efflux carriers (P-gp, MRP)] in order to obtain improved drug delivery systems for oral administration. The analytical equipment also allows the quantitative determination of most drugs or drug candidates under investigation. The laboratory is able and licensed to perform whole animal absorption and pharmacokinetic experiments. In addition, a nasal cell culture system is being developed which allows (1) evaluating drug transport and (2) assessing the effect of drugs or excipients on the ciliary beat frequency (photometry system or high speed camera)." "Pathologic Biochemistry and Physiology" "The department of Pathologic Biochemistry and Physiology is responsible for (post)graduate teaching in this field. It also plays a co-ordinating role in the organisation of courses and training in medical research. Within its own laboratories, the department offers training to Master and Ph.D. students in research projects in the field of diabetes. The research activities are undertaken within the broader framework of the Diabetes Research Centre.The team is composed of the university staff of the department and personnel allocated by research programmes. It has developed technical expertise in flow cytometry, cell purification, cell function and toxicity tests, protein analysis and assays, in vitro and in vivo disease models, autoantibody detection. Current projects are focused on the following subjects: 1. The analysis of pathogenic processes leading to diabetes, in particular at the level of insulin-producing ß-cells; 2. The identification and biologic significance of disease markers, and their use in clinical biology; 3. The induction of human ß-cells neogenesis; 4. The testing of pharmacologic interventions at the level of the ß-cells; 5. The development of ß-cell transplantation for treatment of diabetes." "Medical Biochemistry" "Diabetes mellitus is in many cases a disease state of the pancreatic insulin-producing beta cells, which are either destroyed by an auto-immune assault (type 1 diabetes) or fail to produce and secrete sufficient amounts of insulin under different physiological conditions (type 2 diabetes). Reseach performed within the VUB-unit BIOV is situated within the Diabetes Research Centre (DRC) and has as general aim to better understand how normal beta cells work and how these cells fail during the development of diabetes. Two different aspects of this problem are studied. First, the research unit 'Molecular Pharmacolgy' within BIOV (spokesman F. Schuit) is interested in the molecular mechanisms by which normal beta cells are regulated in their secretory action. We focus on nutrients (glucose) and neutrotransmitters or hormones (glucagon, GLP-1, GIP) or pharmacological tools which mimck or counteract these natural substances. We presently study the signaling pathways of nutrients, and agents which raise cyclic AMP and focus on gene-expression networks that mediate beta-cell regulatory steps. A second part of the BIOV team (Spokesman: Bart Van der Auwera) studies the genetic factors associated with beta cell destruction and development of type I diabetes. This investigation is situated within the framework of the Belgian Diabetes Registry." "Clinical sciences" "The department of Clinical Sciences"