Projects
In vitro and in vivo investigations of metabolisation by gut flora, absorption, and antioxidative activity of polyphenolic constituents of human food. University of Antwerp
Bariatric surgery and its impact on the gut flora KU Leuven
Bariatric surgery (BS) is an effective way to treat obesity. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass reduces the gastric volume and bypasses parts of the small intestine so that malabsorption is expected whereas Sleeve Gastrectomy only reduces the stomach’s volume without inducing malabsorption. However, the extent of malabsorption and its consequences for gut health are not well documented. We hypothesize that the different types of BS induce a different ...
Exploring the Gut-Muscle axis in sarcopenia: The TEMPUS-FUGIT study (Trial in Elderly with Musculoskeletal Problems due to Underlying Sarcopenia - Faeces to Unravel Gut and Inflammation Translationally) KU Leuven
Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and function, is a hot topic, because of the adverse outcomes such as immobility, falls and death, and because its prevalence increases due to the ageing population. There is growing interest in the role of the gut flora in healthy aging, and an unhealthy gut flora has been linked to diseases such as dementia, depression and asthma. It is also clear that the gut flora influences muscle ...
Stability and resilience of the human gut microbiota in health and Irritable Bowel Syndrome Vrije Universiteit Brussel
The missing variability of the Human Gut Microbiome what is the role of host genetics? KU Leuven
The human intestinal tract contains billions of bacteria and archaea, they train our immune system, digest food and provide energy, and at the same time defend host against infectious bacteria. Studies have identified multiple environmental factors affecting the gut flora composition: diet, living habits, gender and disease have great impact. However, much less knowledge is there for the effects of host genetics, and none for the interplay of ...
The role of the gut microbiota in mental wellbeing: a populationlevel analysis KU Leuven
The relation between the gut microbiota and mental health is one of the most intriguing and controversial topics in microbiome research. While it is currently a major focus of investigation and public interest, still little is known about the mechanisms of microbiota-gut-brain (MGB) interaction, and specially the ways through which the gut microbiota could affect brain functioning and contribute to mental health conditions. Most research has ...
Health monitoring through population-level gut microbiome profiling KU Leuven
The human intestinal microbiota has in recent years come forward as a primary target for health monitoring and modulation. Multiple research teams are rushing forward studying microbiota shifts in major diseases to identify diagnostic markers and assess disease pathogenesis. However, a sobering fact remains that the natural variation and dynamics of the gut microbiome are greatly understudied. The Flemish Gut Flora Project (FGFP) is a ...
The role of innate-like T cells in combined gut-joint disease in spondyloarthritis Ghent University
Spondyloarthritis (SpA) covers a group of common inflammatory and chronic musculoskeletal
diseases that affect up to 1% of the Western population. They are characterized by inflammation
and tissue damage of the joints, leading to irreversible damage and loss of motoric function.
Interestingly, we demonstrated that about 50% of SpA patients were found to have microscopic
signs of gut inflammation, without having ...