Projects
Generation of artificial nucleic acid system for biotechnology and therapeutics KU Leuven
* Artificial nucleic acid (XNA/DZA) blocks as bioengineering tools for construction of stable vectors and protection of cleavage sites.
* Fully substituted biopolymers (DNA and RNA) as templates for genetic information storage and transfer in living organisms (bacterial and mammalian cells).
* Design of stable non-immunogenic XNA-based therapeutics
Long-term neurocognitive outcome of critically ill children after hospital discharge. University of Antwerp
Chemical analysis of organic pollutants in serum and urine in the framework of the Centre for Environment and Health. University of Antwerp
Local and systemic immune interactions in malignant gliomas KU Leuven
Glioblastoma (GBM), the most frequent primary intrinsic brain tumor, is without any doubt one of the most devastating diseases known to mankind. GBM are currently being treated with neurosurgical resection followed by radio- and chemotherapy. However, despite this treatment, prognosis for these patients is grim with a median survival of only 15 months and less than 20% 3-year survival rates. Already at diagnosis, GBM cells are infiltrating ...
Electrical interaction with the abnormal brain cavity wall to reduce cavity-related symptoms: proof-of-concept study in the rat KU Leuven
On each neurosurgery and neuroanatomy ward around the world lie patients with an abnormal brain cavity (aBC). Such an aBC develops because neurons are lost as a result of brain damage due to e.g. a stroke or traumatic brain injury. Symptoms associated with an aBC range from motor impairment such as paresis to psychiatric symptoms such as depression. Despite a wide range of available therapies, these symptoms often remain, even years ...
Development of Artificial Genetic Systems for Therapeutic Applications KU Leuven
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) are among the most remarkable biomolecules occurring in nature, since they store and transfer all genetic information using only four letters (G, C, A & T or U). In the last 60 years, since the discovery of the structure of nucleic acids, numerous chemically modified nucleosides and nucleotides have been produced and incorporated into oligomeric sequences either by chemical or ...