Projects
Unraveling molecular processes and cellular dynamics at the transition from cell proliferation to cell expansion during leaf development in Arabidopsis thaliana Ghent University
Recently, we identified the transition from cell proliferation to cell expansion as a key developmental time point in leaf organ size assessment. In this project, we will perform a high-resolution transcriptome analysis of leaf sections, we will examine the dynamics of cell division and cell expansion, and we will develop a marker that allows us to analyze cell expansion during cell cycle progression.
In situ, spatially resolved 'omits' at the single cell level, unlocked through expansion microscopy KU Leuven
Cells are the fundamental functional units in all forms of life. Even though largely
all cells in a human body carry the same genetic information, we still know
surprisingly little about their detailed composition. This is due to the vast
amount of variation in a cell’s gene expression. Specifically, each cell at a certain
moment in time has a certain set of genes that are switched on or off, resulting
in different ...
T Cell Expansion and Tumour Neoantigen Evolution during Checkpoint Immunotherapy KU Leuven
Predicting which mutations represent mutation-associated cancer antigens, also known as neoepitopes, is a daunting task. Indeed, current neoepitope prediction algorithms identify a vast number of candidate neoepitopes in sequencing data, but only a tiny handful also trigger bona fide antitumor responses in patients. Nevertheless, the accurate identification of neoepitopes has huge potential, not only for galvanising personalised cancer ...
Metabolic and epigenetic interplay in neural progenitor cells: investigating neurodevelopmental disorders associated with impaired neural progenitor cell expansion (MEPIcephaly). KU Leuven
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) result in variable neurological and psychological impairments. Here, we focus on microcephaly-associated NDDs that are characterized by a critical decrease in brain size, primarily caused by impaired neural stem and progenitor cell (NPC) expansion in the fetal neocortex. Previously, gene mutations associated with abnormal cell cycle progression, centrosome formation and DNA repair have been identified, yet a ...
Mast cell activation tests (MAT): from an innovative diagnostic to the expansion of a service facility. University of Antwerp
Connecting Single-cell Immune Profiling in Peripheral Blood with Intratumoral T Cell Expansion in Breast Cancer Upon Checkpoint Immunotherapy KU Leuven
In Belgium, breast cancer is the most common cancer in the female population. Although the immune system is equipped with tumor-killing properties, cancerous cells employ evasion techniques, which can be countered using immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. Nevertheless, only a subset of patients derives clinical benefit from ICB. It has been shown that patients who respond to ICB exhibit T cell expansion in the tumor. However, to ...
Automated production and expansion of cell therapy products Ghent University
Blood forming stem cells and gene-engineered (CAR) T cells are frequently used cell therapy producs in todays medicine. Their application is however hampered by the immense costs that are associated with their isolation, manipulation and culture since this needs to be done for each patient specifically. In this project, we wish to use a clinical-compatible instrument in which the culture conditions of these cell types will be tweaked, based ...
T regulatory cell expansion in the kidney KU Leuven
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are fundamental to the adaptive immune response. They require the expression of the transcription factor Foxp3 in T cells for their formation, as that results in their rewiring into an immunosuppressive phenotype. Recently, it was proposed that Tregs have additional tissue-specific physiological roles when resident in different tissues. However, almost nothing is currently known about the residential kinetics and ...