Projects
Role of angiogenesis and angiogenetic growth factors (VEGF, PLGF) in portal hypertension and fibrosis formation in animal models of cirrhosis, steatosis and portal hypertension. Ghent University
Models of portal hypertension and cirrhosis are used to study prevention and reversibility of collateral formation (in peripheral, splanchmic and pulmonary area), by treating mice with anti-PLGF and by using PLGF knock-out mice. Fibrosis formation and the role of hepatic stellate cells in the angiogenesis setting will be studied. In mice models of NASH will be the role of angiogenesis in fibrosis and collateral formation studied in different ...
Unraveling the specifics of Portal Hypertension in Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis and its role in disease progression. University of Antwerp
Role of ER stress in the angiogenesis associated with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension Ghent University
Models of portal hypertension and cirrhosis are used to study the role of ER stress in the development of angiogenesis and fibrosis in the liver and splanchnic circulation. We hypothesize that in PHT and cirrhosis, strategies inhibiting ER stress (by using silencing RNAU+2019s or JIK/Tao3K knockout mice) can decrease inflammation and hypoxia leading to less angiogenesis and fibrosis formation. But that on the other hand, strategies ...
The role of autophagy and the intrahepatic vascular resistance in the pathophysiology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). University of Antwerp
Study of the intrahepatic resistance and its determinants in a rat model of severe non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). University of Antwerp
The role of microcirculatory dysfunction, the innate immune system and intestinal permeability in the early onset of acute-on-chronic liver failure. KU Leuven
Amongst digestive diseases, cirrhosis is the most common non-neoplastic cause of mortality in the Western world. Furthermore, its prevalence is likely to increase in the coming decades because of the increasing incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. In this project, we focused on the pathophysiology of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF, chapter IA) to gain a further understanding of several of the lethal complications in cirrhosis: ...