Projects
Plant prebiotics: the role of the phyllosphere during fructan priming against grey mold (Botrytis cinerea) in lettuce (Lactuca sativa) KU Leuven
Some natural compounds are known to enhance the immune system of plants by a process called priming, which is comparable to the immune-stimulating properties of vaccines in humans. Fructose polymers termed fructans have recently been shown to act as priming agents protecting lettuce (Lactuca sativa) against grey mold (Botrytis cinerea) when sprayed onto the leaf surface, however their method of action remains unknown. Fructans may be ...
Artificial nutrition and probiotics for drones Ghent University
Probiotia for bumblebees Artificial nutrition and probiotics for bumblebees IWT + Blegium Biobest NV 130356
Microbial Oral Management with probiotics: Orally Adapted Multi-Species Probiotics in Slow-Release Devices as a novel treatment concept. KU Leuven
Expanding the horizon of Bacillus environmental probiotics using experimental evolution KU Leuven
This project aims to characterize the mode of action of cleaning agents based on probiotics and to use experimental evolution to further optimize this mode of action.
Development and characterization of a new generation of probiotics against vulvovaginal candidiasis, based on yeast cells and ascospores KU Leuven
Of all women worldwide, 70% will get vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) at least once in her life, 40% more than once and 5% suffers from the recurrent version and they get at least four infections a year. In addition to the direct symptoms, such as increased vaginal discharge and physical pain, VVC can also cause serious complications during pregnancy, such as miscarriages. Current treatment consists of administration of antifungal agents. ...
Using Experimental Evolution to Optimize Probiotics for their Application in Wound Care KU Leuven
This project aims at delivering the proof-of-concept for the enhancement of probiotics through experimental evolution. By exploiting the evolutionary arms race between probiotics and bacterial pathogens, probiotic strains exposed to competitors in the lab could obtain an 'evolutionary head start', increasing their effectiveness in combating pathogens. This approach could result in a general strategy to improve the effectiveness of existing ...
Optimization of probiotics via experimental evolution: towards a treatment less prone to (antibiotic) resistance development KU Leuven
Study of the skin microbiome and the potential of topical probiotics in atopic dermatitis. University of Antwerp
SEQuential REcolonizaTion [Seqret] - an alternative approach to design next-generation probiotics KU Leuven
The use of and interest in probiotics to modulate the human intestinal microbiota as a therapeutic strategy has sharply increased in recent years. Different microbiome-based studies in various pathologies have identified bacterial markers associated with different diseases. However, the low sample size, methodological differences and the normal-range microbiota variation result in a lack of consensus between many of the studies. To solve, ...