Projects
Downstream targets of the metabolic stress sensor SnRK1 - One kinase to rule them all KU Leuven
The evolutionarily conserved SnRK1 (SNF1-related kinase 1) protein kinase (the ortholog of yeast SNF1 and mammalian AMPK) is a major metabolic sensor, allowing acclimatization and energy homeostasis upon changes in energy availability, thereby ensuring plant survival. SnRK1 is activated by low energy stress and repressed by high photosynthetic sugar levels, with the allosteric inhibitor trehalose-6-P acting as a proxy for sucrose supply. To ...
Heme oxygenase-1 and chronic kidney disease: A translational study of oxidative stress and atherogenesis KU Leuven
In advanced kidney disease the prevalence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is high and nearly equivalent across age groups. Recent data indicate that even minor renal dysfunction impacts on the onset of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Many authors hypothesize that increased oxidative stress is the unifying concept that initiates and feeds this problem. Several findings in uremic patients point towards an imbalance favoring the ...
Drought response in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves. University of Antwerp
Improving crop production by field management strategies using crop water productivity modeling: Case study of tef (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) production in Tigray, Ethiopia. KU Leuven
Increasing food production to feed the fast growing world population particularly in developing countries relies on two options: either increase the arable land or improve the productivity of the existing cultivated land. This research focuses on the highly populated highlands ofTigray (northern Ethiopia), where improving the productivity of land isthe only option for sustainable food production. In the drought-prone and highly ...
Physiological and genetic responses of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading Sphingomonas sp. LH128 to abiotic stresses KU Leuven
Novel insights in the HPA-axis during critical illness KU Leuven
Critical illness is defined as any condition that requires support of failing vital organ functions, without which death would rapidly ensue. As such, it represents an extreme example of physical stress, where stress comprises the normal physical response of the human body that ariseswhen confronted with a threat. In healthy individuals, experiencing stress causes an immediate activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenalaxis, which ...
Rheological and Microstructural Investigation of Capillary Suspensions under Shear KU Leuven
The addition of small amounts of an immiscible secondary fluid to a suspension can lead to particle bridging and network formation. This is caused by the attractive capillary force due to liquid bridges formed between the particles. Thus, this kind of suspensions is called a ``capillary suspension''. The capillary bridging phenomenon can be used to stabilize particle suspensions and precisely tune their rheological properties. Capillary ...