Projects
SRP (Groeiers): Unveiling the role of the cystine/glutamate antiporter (system xc-) in temporal lobe epilepsy, major depression and Parkinson’s disease Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Synaptic dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease and neurodegeneration. KU Leuven
Parkinson’s disease is an incurable neurodegenerative, lethal movement disorder affecting ~10 million people. Familial disease is caused by mutations in >20 genes and these map to a limited number of diverse molecular pathways. Using new and extensive collections of fruit flies and iPS cells we are studying the mutations in these genes that cause disease, with the ultimate goal to understand the underlying pathogenic pathways. In addition, ...
Investigating the biomarker potential and pathological role of neuronal- and bacterial- derived extracellular vesicles in Parkinson’s disease. Ghent University
Accumulating evidence indicates that extracellular vesicles (EVs) represent a highly interesting biomarker source. Indeed, neuronal-derived EVs (nEVs) separated from peripheral sources provide a snapshot of ongoing pathological changes in the brain whereas bacterial EVs (bEVs) have shown to reflect microbial dysbiosis. Interestingly, both neuronal changes and microbial dysbiosis are evident in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. Additionally, ...
ATP13A2 agonists for Parkinson’s disease therapy KU Leuven
Drug discovery for Parkinson’s disease using a translational screening platform KU Leuven
Integration of long read genome sequencing and single-cell multi-omics to identify genetic variation underlying Parkinson’s disease KU Leuven
In recent years, there have been major developments in ’omics technologies. Long read sequencing now produces highly accurate reads from single molecules with theoretically unlimited length. Long reads enable us to assemble whole human genomes de novo, study complex genomic regions and large structural variants, all of which are particularly difficult through conventional short read technologies. It also allows us to directly study DNA ...
The impact of asymmetric dopaminergic regulation on attention and visual hallucinations in Parkinson's disease Ghent University
Parkinson's disease typically manifests itself as an asymmetric disease caused by asymmetric dopaminergic depletion in the substantia nigra. We will examine the role of dopaminergic regulation in attention and visual hallucinations by comparing patients with predominantly left-sided versus right-sided motor symptoms. The relation with anatomical (MRI) and metabolic (DAT-Spect) brain correlates will be examined.