Projects
Dental stem cells as effective vehicles in a new therapy for oral squamous cell carcinoma. Hasselt University
Suicide gene therapy as a new treatment for oral squamous cell carcinoma: a dental stem cell-based approach. Hasselt University
Towards an improved dental pulp-capping therapy KU Leuven
SUMMARY.
A recent Delphi survey on the future of restorative dentistry for the next 20 years identified maintenance of the pulp vitality as of the highest importance [1]. The authors rated bioactivity toward the pulp-dentin complex as key property for future tooth-restorative materials. This need to develop bioactive restorative materials was also the conclusion drawn on a workshop ("Future innovation and research in dental restorative ...
Towards an improved dental pulp-capping therapy. KU Leuven
VITAL PULP THERAPY (pulp capping) is a clinical technique a dentist employs in an attempt to keep a traumatized tooth-pulp healthy, while avoiding an often technique-demanding and costly root-canal treatment that may weaken the tooth’s integrity and shorten its lifetime. Bioactivity towards the pulp-dentin complex is today considered a preferential property a modern dental restorative material should possess. The main pulp-capping agents ...
Improving management techniques in conditions affecting the fetal brain KU Leuven
This project will include research into the most recent developments in prenatal therapies concerning the fetal central nervous system. Especially focused on three different subjects: - Fetal cytomegalovirus infections: current status of the screening protocol in Belgium and its need for adjustment. The role of MRI in diagnostics. The possibility of Vanciclovir as treatment of first trimester CMV infections. This study is part of a long-term ...
Evaluation of chemotherapy-assiocated fetal damage in cancer in pregnancy KU Leuven
The possibility that chemotherapy exerts DNA damage on the fetus that could lead to potential deleterious effects later in life, such as cancer or other diseases, has not been investigated so far. As the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy at the DNA level have been well established, it could be speculated that chemotherapy-induced DNA damage may interfere with health in the long term. Therefore, studies that evalutate whether/which ...
DiSsecting fetal genetiC and epigenetic changes After in utero exposure to chemotheRapy (SCAR). KU Leuven
Cancer complicates 1 in 1000 pregnancies representing an important health challenge that affects both mother and child. In a series of breakthrough clinical studies, the hosting lab has shown that chemotherapy given during pregnancy is relatively safe for the infants in the short term. However, children born after in utero exposure to chemotherapy are often small for their gestation age, present with lower IQ scores and have higher risk to ...
Reducing invasiveness of fetal spina bifida repair - Towards novel techniques. KU Leuven
Though not a lethal condition, the prenatal correction of open spina bifida aperta (SBA) was proposed, because it could halt its in utero progressive nature hence prevent severe postnatal morbidity. In 1995, fetal surgery was proven safe and effective in the fetal lamb model. After initial exploratory clinical trials demonstrating feasibility and safety, in 2011 the randomized clinical trial (Management Of Myelomeningocele Study, MOMS) ...
Single Orifice and Robotic Solutions for Fetal Surgery KU Leuven
Around 1% of the babies are born with a severe birth defect each year and collectively these defects are estimated to be responsible for over 1/3 of all paediatric hospital admissions. Studies have shown that surgeries performed before birth have better long-term effects on the babies as compared to the surgeries performed after birth. However open womb surgery is an extreme option for fetal surgery which may induce severe side effects on ...