Projects
Application for a high-performance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscope (FTIR) KU Leuven
Formation of endothelial networks in human tissue-engineered skeletal muscle KU Leuven
Skeletal muscle is a complex tissue with a capacity to regenerate upon injury. However, when skeletal muscle loss is beyond the regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle, the muscle repair process fails and scar tissue replaces the damaged area with resultant functional impairment. Current treatments have several disadvantages and new strategies are being explored, such as skeletal muscle tissue engineering. The aim is to reproduce the native ...
Biofabrication of complex and vascularized tissues via hybrid bioprinting KU Leuven
The biofabrication of 3D biomimetic tissue analogs, which accurately mimic the properties of native tissue, have an enormous potential in biomedical applications (drug discovery, cancer research, regenerative medicine,…). A basic prerequisite for the survival, maturation and function of 3D engineered tissues is the establishment of blood vessels. The most critical challenge in complex tissue engineering is the integration of a hierarchical ...
Controlled spatial patterning of ligand presentation within hydrogels. KU Leuven
State of the art
Natively, cells reside in a complex microenvironment, called the extracellular matrix (ECM), where they receive numerous signals (chemical, mechanical, biological) that allow them to maintain proper function; however, cells can be damaged and these interactions disrupted as a result of injury or disease. To address this problem, tissue engineering is developing as an emerging field with the ambitious aim to ...
Biofabrication of complex and vascularized tissues via hybrid bioprinting KU Leuven
STEM/EDS for high-resolution imaging and chemical element mapping to study soft and hard tissues, biomaterials and interfacial biomaterial-tissue interactions. A multifunctional research instrument with broad multidisciplinary application. KU Leuven
Transmission electron microscopy is a powerful research technique with a broad application area in life and material sciences. A large research consortium consisting of 22 partners belonging to 13 research groups with a wide research interest jointly applies for the newest state-of-theart user-friendly, low-threshold and versatile 120-kV Transmission Electron Microscope. This TEM should possess an integrated digital camera for high-resolution ...
Complex biological tissues and cell colonies: active material properties of multicellular structures KU Leuven
Complex biological tissues and cell colonies behave as active materials in which the constituents, individual cells, self-organize to create complex and dynamic biological systems. In order to engineer multicellular structures, for example in tissue engineering or in the treatment of bacterial biofilms, we can harness the active mechanical properties of these materials to help steer cell and tissue fate. However, active materials exhibit ...
All-in-one atmospheric pressure plasma jet assisted surface modification of exclusive heart valve, blood vessel and myocardium tissue-engineered scaffolds for an overall heart repair Ghent University
Despite all medicine advances, cardiovascular diseases attacking heart valves, blood vessels and myocardium are still the leading cause of mortality. Given the fact that heart transplants are the only efficient but very tricky therapy, tissue engineering aiming at repairing on-target the damaged heart tissue has emerged. Although promising, current scaffold-based approaches are not fully successful mainly due a suboptimal combination of ...