Projects
Selection of driver genes and neuronal differentiation gene modules in neuroblastoma through an integrated genomic analysis Ghent University
Integrative genomic analyses and pathway reconstruction efforts will be implemented to the currently used set of analytical tools as an original and powerful approach to discriminate driver from passenger mutations in the next-generation sequencing of neuroblastoma tumor samples. Gene modules will be obtained and those implicated in normal sympathetic neuronal differentiation will be prioritized for further functional analyses.
Unraveling the genetic etiology of sensory disorders: The role of calcium signaling genes at the auditory inner hair cell ribbon synapse and identification of new genes. University of Antwerp
Deciphering gene regulatory networks and cis-regulatory codes in Drosophila through a combination of genetic perturbations, digital gene expression, and bioinformatics. KU Leuven
RNA Based Gene Therapy In A Model Of RNA Based Gene Therapy In A Model Of Usher syndrome KU Leuven
Usher syndrome (USH) is the most prevalent cause of combined deafness and blindness in humans. USH is categorized in three distinct subtypes based on severity of hearing loss and presence of vestibular dysfunction. The hearing loss due to mutations in different USH genes results from disorganization of the hair bundles of the cochlear hair cells. In all three USH subtypes visual impairment is due to retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Mutations in ...
Antibiotic tolerance in Escherichia coli: functional characterisation and single-cell analysis of stochastic gene expression of a new persistence gene. KU Leuven
Modeling gene regulatory network evolution through gene duplication from a mechanistic perspective Ghent University
We will use fine-grained, sequence-based genotype-phenotype mapping models in combination with population-based evolutionary algorithms to study the evolution of molecular systems through gen(om)e duplication under stabilizing, directional and fluctuating selection. We will in particular study the mechanisms by which duplicates in gene regulatory networks may diverge, and the impact of duplications on the origin of emergent system ...
Dissecting the role of Parkinson's Disease related genes in the regulation of clock neurons and circadian rhythms. KU Leuven
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common and incurable neurodegenerative disease. While motor defects and loss of dopaminergic neurons are hallmarks of the disease, alterations in sleep and circadian rhythms are well-recognized common non-motor-related symptoms that precede disease onset and are even thought to be important risk factors. However, a connection between sleep disturbances and the molecular pathogenesis of PD remains elusive. In this ...
Selective resequencing of miRNA genes in neuroblastoma Ghent University
In this project we aim to study the involvement of miRNAs in the development and progression of neuroblastoma. By using next generation sequencing technology to selectively resequence these small non coding genens in a large set of neuroblastoma tumours we will get an in depth view of the mutations possibly occurring in neuroblastoma. This will enhance our insight in this enigmatic disease.
The conceptual integration of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) into neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory: the elaboration of a gene-selectionist (selfish gene) approach Ghent University
20th century neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory black-boxed the complex developmental processes leading from genotype to phenotype. Emerging in the 1980s, evo-devo, i.e. the evolutionary study of the developmental process itself, opened up the black box between genotype and phenotype. The major goal of 21st century evolutionary biology and bio-philosophy is the construction of an ‘Extended Evolutionary Synthesis’ (EES) incorporating evo-devo’s ...