Projects
Combatting Bacterial Resistance in Europe - Clostridium Difficile Infections (Combacte - CDI). University of Antwerp
Optimalisation of the microbial electrosynthesis by Clostridium ljungdahlii Ghent University
Microbial electrosynthesis is the process in which bacteria use electrical energy to convert CO2 into organic compounds. A promising bacterium for this process is Clostridium ljungdahlii. Electrosynthesis by this bacterium will be optimized by developing a strain with an increased biofilm production and an enhanced electron transfer, as well as by improving the operational conditions for reactors.
COSMMOS: Characterising and Optimising the production flux of Secondary Metabolites in Clostridia using a hybrid Mechanistic machine learning multi-OmicS pipeline KU Leuven
The aim of this project is to predict the production flux of heterologously synthesised bioactive natural products in Clostridium strains using a supervised multi-omics inference pipeline harnessing both mechanistic and machine learning concepts.
Natural products (NPs) are compounds synthesised through a non-growth-associated metabolic process encoded within a biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC). NP families like polyketides and ...
The mega-enzymes non-ribosomal peptide synthetases / polyketide synthases encoded in Lactic Acid Bacteria KU Leuven
The secondary metabolites also known as natural products exhibit a variety of important bioactivities and excellent pharmaceutical properties (as antibiotics, anti-cancers and immune-suppressants) that have successfully been used in the pharmaceutical industry. The secondary metabolites are synthesized by non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) and polyketide synthase (PKS) mega-enzymes, which consist of multiple functional ...
Conservation of biomass for dairy rations via ensiling to optimize feed security in South Ethiopia KU Leuven
Feed conservation is a prerequisite for successful dairy production. The dairy sector plays a significant role in poverty alleviation for millions of smallholder farmers. In this regard, feed shortage was shown to be the major bottleneck for dairy development in Ethiopia. Based on their findings, researchers are making a lot of interventions to improve the dairy sector in the country. Yet, the interventions do not allow the dairy sector to ...
Unraveling the molecular mechanism by which NetB triggers intestinal disease in chickens: from target cell to host response Ghent University
One of the most important diseases that is challenging the poultry industry worldwide is necrotic
enteritis (NE). The causative agent of NE is Clostridium perfringens. Today, antibiotics are the most
effective control method to control NE, but alternative strategies are essential to comply with the
growing consumer demand for antibiotic reduction in the animal production industry. In order to
establish a targeted ...
Functional coagulase-negative staphylococci to improve quality and safety during meat fermentations KU Leuven
Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) are part of the technological microbiota during meat fermentation, where they contribute to colour and flavour. Although S. carnosus and/or S. xylosus are used as starter cultures, the diversity of the CNS community extends way beyond these two species and its rich metabolic potential seems underexploited. The present study aims at a better understanding of the competitiveness of different CNS species ...
Optimisation of enset fermentation: physicochemical and microbial dynamics and development of starter cultures KU Leuven
Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman, Musaceae) is a multipurpose crop widely cultivated in the southern, south-western and central parts of Ethiopia. Its persistence to recurrent droughts and high yield potential per unit area of land assures its vital role in ensuring food security. The plant does not produce edible fruits, but its swollen pseudostem and corm are processed and fermented in soil pit or bamboo basket (or erosa) ...
Pathogenesis and control of enterotoxemia in calves Ghent University
The veal calf industry struggles with economic losses due to mortality caused by enterotoxemia or necrohemorrhagic enteritis. Clostridium perfringens is seen as plausible causative agent. In this project
we wish to confirm the role of C. perfringens and we will investigate possible causative toxins in search of a vaccine based on non-toxic mutants of these toxins.