Projects
Prophylaxis of at risks persons with an ultrapotent SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing antibody Ghent University
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes COVID-19, has now spread all over the globe, infected millions, and already killed more than 200.000 people. Elderly people are most likely to develop severe disease and to die from COVID-19. The aim of this project is to have a manufacturable, cost-effective, ultrapotent SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing antibody ready for prophylactic use in the most vulnerable individuals ...
COVID-Trace: from tracking virus-host interactions at the single-cell level to tracing cellular markers for clinical patient stratification. Ghent University
A fraction of COVID-19 patients develop a severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), requiring ICU hospitalization. In many countries, hospitals are getting overwhelmed. Identifying the patients at risk of developing ARDS will allow early treatment with immunotherapies, avoiding ICU hospitalization. Through UGent-BOF funding, we have initiated the COVID-Track study which aims at obtaining insight in COVID-19 virus-host interactions ...
Covid-Track: applying quantitative virology and single-cell genomics to unravel the virus-host interactions leading to severe immunopathologies in COVID-19 patients Ghent University
The world is under the spell of SARS-CoV2. More insight is urgently needed into how this new virus disrupts the human immune system and can cause serious illness. In this project we will work with a consortium of clinicians, virologists, immunologists, single-cell experts and bioinformatics scientists
to gain a better understanding of the immunopathology of SARS-CoV2.
SARS-COV-2 Child study. KU Leuven
Collaboration between Sciensano and KU Leuven about the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in school aged children in two regions with difference in prevalence of COVID-19 disease.
Generation of potent, broadly betacoronavirus neutralizing antibody constructs Ghent University
Betacoronaviruses can cause deadly, rapidly spreading zoonotic infections. The world is currently witnessing the global spread of COVID-19, which is caused by SARS-CoV-2 and has killed already almost 3000 people. There are no vaccines or antivirals on the market to prevent or treat disease caused by these newly emerging beta coronaviruses. The aim of this project is to develop an antibody-based biological that can neutralize a broad range of ...
Inter- and intra-community mapping of SARS-CoV-2 spread by combining whole-genome sequencing, phylogeographical analysis and movement traces Ghent University
Since the introduction of SARS-CoV-2, the virus has been spreading very rapidly and has caused severe respiratory pathology around the world. A pandemic ensued within a short time. The virus originated from a zoonotic event, where likely a bat or even a pangolin was carrying the virus and infected a human by animal-to-human transmission. This means that the virus is still seeking an optimal fit with its new host, the human. This is, for ...
Functional analysis of T cells infiltrating the lungs of severely ill COVID-19 patients Ghent University
Despite intensive research efforts all over the world, how the SARS-CoV-2 virus destroys lung function and why this happens only in selected patients remains incompletely understood. We have therefore collected lung and blood samples of COVID-19 patients hospitalized for severe disease at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. These samples have been analysed via single cell RNA sequencing, a recently developed technology that yields ...
INFECT: exploratIoN oF (epi)-gEnetic changes Contributing To long COVID-19 KU Leuven
SARS-CoV-2 has been rapidly spreading around the globe counting >55million infections and >1 million deaths, with continuously rising numbers. A sizable fraction of infected subjects develops viral pneumonia with signs of acute respiratory distress syndrome, which – in severe cases – leads to respiratory failure and death. While tremendous efforts are made to probe the underlying molecular mechanisms of acute COVID-19 disease (SHORT ...
Investigation of the SARS-CoV-2. KU Leuven
Het doel van het project is om een innovatief in-vitro model te ontwikkelen om de communicatie tussen endotheelcellen en epitheelcellen van de luchtwegen te karakteriseren tijdens SARS-CoV-2 virale infectie.