Projects
Noninvasive imaging of stem cells to evaluate therapeutic efficacy in muscular dystrophy animal models. KU Leuven
Stem cells have a huge potential for regenerative medicine as they are able to differentiate towards various cell types and can be expanded to cell numbers sufficient for therapy. However, despite their huge potential results after clinical translation have been mostly disappointing. Therefore, new methods need to be developed to optimize stem cell therapy for using stem cells at their maximum capacity. At present, cells are injected and ...
non-invasive imaging of migration and survival of stem cells in the brain Ghent University
The consortium will develop methods to manipulate endogenous stem cells as well as cultured multipotent stem cell populations that can be grafted to enable non-invasive imaging of migration and survival of the cells in vivo, and to also enhance migration and survival. In a second platform multimodality imaging will be developed to allow in a non-invasive manner to follow the fate of stem cells in vivo. Some of these imaging modalities. here ...
Nerve regeneration by human dental pulp stem cells in hydrogel based scaffolds: characterization by label-free optical imaging Hasselt University
Nerve regeneration by human dental pulp stem cells in hydrogel based scaffolds: characterization by label-free optical imaging Hasselt University
Unraveling the pituitary stem cells’ biology in the injured, regenerating, and aging gland KU Leuven
The pituitary is the master regulator of our hormonal system. Injury and aging are key threats to its vital role in governing body physiology. We discovered that the (mouse) pituitary can regenerate its cells after local injury, a competence however quickly vanishing at aging. Here, we will in-depth decipher the mechanisms underlying pituitary stem cell activation and ensuing regeneration, and why this fails with aging. By applying ...
Human Stem Cell Derived Liver Cells for Disease Modeling and Whole Organ Engineering KU Leuven
The vital blood system in mammals is continuously regenerated throughout life by a process called hematopoiesis. In hematopoiesis, a stem cell population called hematopoietic stem cells (HSC’s) undergo differentiation and produce specialized mature blood cells including red blood cells, megakaryocytes and myeloid cells. Even a small failure in this process can result in hematological disorders such as anemia and leukemia. Transplantation of ...
Functional identification of innate immune responses following stem cell implantation in the central nervous system of mice. University of Antwerp
Linking properties of biomimetic polymer matrices to stem cell fate: a microscopy study KU Leuven
Living tissues are more than packed cells. In fact, much of a tissue's volume is made up of extracellular space, filled with a complex meshwork of sugars, water, minerals and proteins called the extracellular matrix (ECM). Besides providing a structure support to the cells, the ECM plays a crucial role in several cellular processes, such as cell survival, development, adhesion and differentiation of stem cells. When a stem cell divide, it ...