Projects
Transient Receptor Potential and Piezo channels as molecular sensors of extracellular lipid vesicles KU Leuven
Transient receptor potential (TRP) and Piezo channels are ubiquitous mechanosensory proteins and are thereby involved in numerous physiological and pathophysiological processes and proposed as targets to treat multiple human diseases. These channels are activated by mechanical stimuli inducing shear stress and changes in membrane curvature and tension, and by the perturbations produced by insertion of chemicals in cell membranes. Based on ...
Unravelling the potential of skeletal muscle derived extracellular vesicles in metabolic disorders Hasselt University
Unravelling uptake and function of systemic bacterial extracellular vesicles in cancer patients using clinically relevant in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo models. Ghent University
(Pre-)clinical research has revealed that gut bacteria influence cancer onset, progression and therapy response, although precise mechanisms remain unknown. Gut bacteria release bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEV), membrane-enclosed particles containing a variety of biomolecules that can be recognized by pattern recognition receptors on host cells. Recently, my host lab discovered that BEV are systemically present in cancer patients with ...
Extracellular vesicles from follicular fluid are key for successful development of fresh and vitrified equine oocytes Ghent University
In vitro embryo production has become a popular breeding technique in horses, but suboptimal conditions for in vitro maturation and oocyte cryopreservation limit its full potential. When in vivo matured oocytes are used, high embryo development rates can be achieved with both fresh and vitrified oocytes, indicating the presence of crucial signaling factors in the natural environment, the growing follicle. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), present ...
How are microRNAs selectively loaded into extracellular vesicles in insects? KU Leuven
Specific and sensitive detection of extracellular vesicles using FO-SPR for early cancer diagnosis KU Leuven
EVs have substantial potential in non-invasive cancer detection since they act as mediators of cell-to-cell communication by carrying diverse molecular cargo. Even though numerous technologies have been developed for EV detection, many are not yet applicable for clinical settings as they rely on complex EV enrichment methods that lack sensitivity and/or standardization. To overcome this, over the past years, we established a calibrated ...
Real-time, label-free analysis of extracellular vesicles and their proteins using surface plasmon resonance technology KU Leuven
Extracellular vesicles are nanoparticles which are secreted from every cell type in the human body. They convey information between cells by carrying over a variety of molecules from one cell to the other. These molecules and the vesicles themselves vary in composition depending on the type of cell, as well as the type of stress which the cell is exposed to. Cells can carry disease biomarkers which can then also be transferred to the ...
Microwave Sensing in Microfluidics for Cell and Extracellular Vesicles Character KU Leuven
Microwave concepts are increasingly being used in microfluidic devices to advance detection, monitoring and actuation of liquid mixtures in lab-on-a-chip applications thanks to the work that demonstrated capabilities of microwave sensing and heating. This exploratory work has demystified microwave techniques to the life science community, convinced the optical-based community into advantages of microwaves, and identified limitations of ...