Projects
Therapeutic application of multipotent stem cells in an animal model of multiple sclerosis Hasselt University
Growth factor signal interpretation in stem cells and the early embryo. KU Leuven
A novel epigenetic modification in pluripotent stem cells. KU Leuven
Adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine are the four bases that make up DNA, the genetic material in all cells. In mammals, a group of atoms called “methyl” can be added to cytosine to form the “fifth” base 5-methylcytosine (5mC). Methylating cytosine is one mechanism by which a cell fine-tunes its gene activity to perform specialized functions. Recently, scientists have succeeded at turning mature specialized cells back to an embryonic state, ...
Noninvasive imaging of stem cells to evaluate therapeutic efficacy in muscular dystrophy animal models. KU Leuven
Stem cells have a huge potential for regenerative medicine as they are able to differentiate towards various cell types and can be expanded to cell numbers sufficient for therapy. However, despite their huge potential results after clinical translation have been mostly disappointing. Therefore, new methods need to be developed to optimize stem cell therapy for using stem cells at their maximum capacity. At present, cells are injected and ...
Uncoupling beneficial from deleterious outcomes derived from Wnt/beta-catenin activation in stem cells for new strategies in anticancer therapy and regenerative medicine. KU Leuven
Differentiation and characterization of cholangiocytes from human pluripotent stem cells. KU Leuven
Over the last years, human embryonic and so-called induced pluripotent stem cells (made from skin or other cells) can be differentiated to liver cells (hepatocytes). These cells resemble closely primary liver cells, however further optimization of the protocol is necessary. Besides hepatocytes, the liver also contains bile duct cells (cholangiocytes). These cells have been studied less intensively than hepatocytes because they were previously ...
The study of mutations in the mitochondrial genome of human pluripotent stem cells by massive parallel sequencing Vrije Universiteit Brussel
A novel epigenetic modification in pluripotent stem cells KU Leuven
This proposal is based on my discovery of the latest new family of DNA modifying enzymes – the Tet family of dioxygenases – which I, during my postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Prof. Rao at Harvard Medical School, have shown to regulate expression of specific developmental genes with an influence on lineage specification during cellular differentiation. My new research program to unravel the detailed functions of Tet proteins in ...
Epigenetic regulation of differentiation of hepatocytes using human pluripotent stem cells as a model. KU Leuven
Pluripotent stem cells present in the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, from which embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are derived, self-renew while retaining the capability to differentiate to all cell types of the three germ layers. hESCs have a unique epigenetic state to maintain pluripotency (PMID: 21876557). During embryological development, pluripotent stem cells differentiate, governed by epigenetic changes that induce activation and ...