Projects
Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis risk: does imprinting of monocytes provide better explanations? Hasselt University
Inverse relationship between bone mass and fat mass: effects of steroid metabolism in the fatty tissue and fetal imprinting Ghent University
Starting from previous observations in clinical studies of male osteoporosis of our research group, in which an inverse relationship was found between fat mass and bone mass, the present project wishes to examine the effects of adipose tissue on the bone, by means of further animal experimental work. The mechanism of this inverse relationship is not completely known, where two hypotheses will be investigated. (1) The inverse relationship ...
Epstein Barr-virus and multiple sclerosis: new tricks from an old dog. Does imprinting of inflammatory monocytes provide an answer? Hasselt University
Gnotobiotic Artemia brine shrimp as a model for studying the transcriptional, translational and epigenetic mechanisms responsible for immune 'imprinting' against infectious diseases in invertebrates Ghent University
Invertebrates, including shrimps, rely on their innate immunity to fight against pathogens. Innate immunity lacks the ability to show high degree of specificity and long-lasting memory. However, few reports claimed that invertebrates show some form of immunological specificity and memory similar to that of adaptive immunity in vertebrates. Using the gnotobiotic brine shrimp Artemia as model organism, this project aims to unambiguously prove ...
Heterogeneity and tissue imprinting of intestinal resident macrophages revisited: from transcriptome to function KU Leuven
Intestinal macrophages are essential components of the gastrointestinal tract and exhibit highly specific functions depending on their anatomical location within the gut. Lamina propria macrophages face the gut lumen and are involved in bacterial clearance, initiation of adaptive immunity and installing oral tolerance. In contract, macrophages residing in the muscularis externa regulate intestinal peristaltic activity through direct crosstalk ...
Innate imprinting of resident alveolar macrophages by allergic airway inflammation: mechanism and consequences for asthma exacerbation Ghent University
In a mouse model of asthma, resident alveolar macrophages showed an increased inflammatory reactivity upon post-infection of the asthmatic lung. This project aims to elucidate the mechanism underlying the altered macrophage innate functionality and hereby to enable interference with asthma exacerbation.
Molecularly imprinted nanoparticles for bio-sensing applications. Hasselt University
Optimization of surface imprinted polymer sensing platforms by dielectric relaxation spectroscopy KU Leuven
Surface imprinting involves the synthesis of thin polymer layer in the presence of a template species to make artificial receptors. The implementation of such synthetic receptors into various biomimetic sensors is promising and allows for fast, specific, and low-cost target detection. However, their fundamental detection mechanisms are not fully understood yet. In this study, cell recognition mechanisms of surface imprinted polymers (SIP) ...