Projects
Targeting disturbed lipophagy promotes remyelination in multiple sclerosis Hasselt University
Targeting disturbed lipophagy promotes remyelination in multiple sclerosis Hasselt University
Disturbed lipophagy skews foamy macrophages to a disease-promotiong phenotype in progressive MS. Hasselt University
Analysis of the effect of LRRK2 mutations on mitophagy in iPSC-derived neurons from people with Parkinson’s disease KU Leuven
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a highly disabling neurodegenerative disorder for which no disease-modifying therapies exist yet. Development of such treatments is hampered by lack of insight into the pathogenic pathways underlying PD. A number of different monogenic causes of PD have been identified. Loss-of-function mutations in the genes for PINK1, parkin and DJ-1 cause autosomal recessive PD and disrupt mitophagy, a form of selective ...
Analysis of the effect of the Parkinson’s disease-linked VPS35 mutation on mitophagy KU Leuven
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder with a strongly increasing prevalence. No cure for PD exists yet. Therefore, it is important to further elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms of PD. A minority of PD cases have a monogenic cause. VPS35, LRRK2 and SNCA are genes linked to autosomal dominant PD. VPS35 is part of the retromer complex, which mediates the retrograde transport of proteins from the ...
Analysis of the role of the Parkinson's disease-linked protein DJ-1 in mitophagy KU Leuven
Parkinson’s disease is a very common brain disease characterized by slowness of movement, tremor, falls, dementia and many other problems. There is still no therapy that slows down its relentless progression. In Parkinson’s disease dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain gradually die. Why these cells die, is not well understood. In some familial cases Parkinson’s disease is caused by genetic mutations. Rare mutations in the genes for ...
Role of PEX5 in pexophagy and mitophagy regulation KU Leuven
Peroxisomes are remarkably dynamic organelles that have recently moved into the spotlight of cell biology, biomedical research, and biotechnology. Their function can differ substantially across different species, life stages, and environmental conditions. However, they are predominantly known for their role in the metabolism of lipids and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). In order to regulate peroxisome function in response to changing nutritional ...
Analysis of the role of the LRRK2 substrate Rab10 in mitophagy KU Leuven
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common, progressive neurodegenerative disorder for which no cure exists. In this project, we will make use of fibroblasts and iPSC-derived dopaminergic neurons from patients with PD to unravel pathogenic mechanisms of mutations in the PARK7 gene, the rarest cause of autosomal recessive PD. Many different roles for DJ-1 have been reported, but a clear picture of its molecular function has not emerged yet and the ...
Analysis of mitophagy in patients with idiopathic and monogenic Parkinson’s disease KU Leuven
Parkinson disease (PD) is a disabling, incurable disorder with increasing prevalence in the western world. In rare cases PD is caused by mutations in the genes for PINK1 (PTEN induced kinase 1) or PRKN (E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase parkin), which impair the selective autophagic elimination of damaged mitochondria (mitophagy). Mutations in the gene encoding LRRK2 (leucine-rich repeat kinase 2) are the most common monogenic cause of PD. Here, we ...