Projects

Uncontrolled inflammation is a major public health issue. It is difficult to treat clinically and is not restricted to the devastating pneumonia resulting from covid-19 infections. Thus, there is an urgent need for anti-inflammatory therapies that apply to covid-19 but also to the many inflammatory disorders affecting humans. During evolution, ticks had to circumvent an attack by the immune system of their mammalian host. As such, ticks ...

Biomaterials have been introduced in oral surgery many years ago. The most accepted definition is from 1982 and is as follows: “any substance (other than a drug) or combination of substances, synthetic or natural in origin, which can be used for any period of time, as a whole or as a part of a system which treats, augments, or replaces any tissue, organ, or function of the body”. As also described in the definition, biomaterials can be of ...

Neuroblastoma is the most frequent extra-cranial solid tumor in childhood. More than half of patients is diagnosed with high-risk disease (non-resectable and metastasized), and is faced with poor prognosis. To date, an effective and safe treatment for such patients is not available, urgently necessitating research into novel treatment strategies.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a cornerstone in the treatment of ...

Preservation and restoration of the natural dentition have long been the goal of dental care, especially in immature teeth which became necrotic. However, a persistent peri-radicular infection, despite an adequate endodontic therapy, can threaten the survival of a tooth. To accelerate tissue healing, autologous platelet-rich preparations have been evaluated with encouraging results (Marx, 2004; Wirz et al., 2011). We can divide these ...

Lung transplantation, clinically indicated for end-stage lung diseases like cystic fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), has worse long-term survival numbers compared to other solid-organ transplantations. This is mainly due to development of chronic rejection, an airway chronic inflammatory response causing a steady decline in pulmonary function, that is associated with high mortality rates. Since therapy for chronic ...

Platelets are critically involved in cardiovascular disease. As a result of atherosclerotic plaque rupture, the exposure of debris instigates arterial thrombosis causing myocardial infarction or stroke. Beyond the hemostatic employment of platelets, recent studies revealed immunological properties of platelets affecting atherosclerosis. We showed that platelet CD40L, an important co-stimulatory molecule, plays a pivotal role in platelet ...

Leucocyte plasma rich fibrin (L-PRF) is one of the four families of platelets concentrates used in the surgical field and has been used in oral and maxillofacial wounds where it can modulate hard and soft tissue healing procedure while some studies report on pain –inhibitory and anti-inflammatory properties as well. The mechanisms of action are unclear, and the relative role of their different components have not been fully elucidated. The ...