Projects
Stimulation of muscle hypertrophy: exercising tissue engineered human skeletal muscle. KU Leuven
Creation of 3D skeletal muscle was originally described with chicken cells by prof. H. Vandenburgh . Prof. L. Thorrez co-developed this technology for human muscle and applications included ex vivo gene therapy and drug screening. These bio-artificial muscles (BAMs) are composed of aligned myofibers with dimensions of 2 cm long and 1 mm thick. Prof. L. Thorrez established the Tissue Engineering Lab at KULeuven Kulak where technologies and ...
A basic whole-body bioluminescent and fluorescent in vivo imaging system for small laboratory animals Ghent University
With in vivo optical imaging the distribution and multiplication of viruses, bacteria, stem and tumor cells, as well as the action of genes, nanomedicines and DNA/RNA drugs can be investigated without the need to kill the experimental animals. By using this technique the number of experimental animals can be drastically reduced in preclinical oncological, pharmacological, immunological, virological and bacteriological research.
Anisakidae, neglected but not negligible zoonotic foodborne parasites: towards solutions to decrease their impact on Veterinary Public Health Ghent University
Anisakidae are neglected zoonotic foodborne parasites impacting significantly on public health, and economy. Though of great concern to the Belgian fish industry, they are still hugely neglected in research. This project aims to define the importance of Anisakidae in the Belgian food chain, to improve diagnosis in fish and to explore techniques for removal of the larvae from fish.
Towards sustainable food systems in Belgium: production and consumption perspectives considering environmental impacts, nutritional values and dietary habits KU Leuven
Food production and consumption contribute largely to global environmental impacts. Protein sources play an important role in this, and research has shown that animal-based protein sources, such as meat and dairy, generally induce larger environmental impacts than plant-based protein sources, such as peas and legumes. At the same time, animal-based protein sources are suppliers of important nutrients. Therefore, when changing from ...
An investigation into an animal-friendly method for killing individual poultry Ghent University
Which are the most suitable methods to kill sick and weakened individual chickens and turkeys? At the request of the Flemish government, these questions had to be answered. Profoundly ill and weakened poultry must be killed as humanely as possible to prevent unnecessary and prolonged suffering. The European Directive 1099/2009 describes the methods that are allowed. But not all these methods appear to be applied, and they also appear to not ...
Next generation pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling: dosage regimen for both curative and metaphylactic antimicrobial treatment taking antimicrobial resistance development into account Ghent University
Current dosage regimens of antimicrobials have been determined for curative treatment without taking antimicrobial resistance into account. In this research proposal, optimal dosage regimen will be established for both curative and metaphylactic enrofloxacin treatment against avian pathogenic Escherichia coli in broilers. The effect of these dosage regimen on resistance development in both the target pathogen and the commensal gut microbiota ...
Interference with ecological competition in mixed species biofilms containing Salmonella KU Leuven
DNA-YFVax: A DNA-based vaccine platform for tailoring of live attenuated virus vaccines for human and veterinary use KU Leuven
A novel, DNA-based, live-attenuated vaccine for the yellow fever virus and other medically important flaviviruses. KU Leuven
Many vaccines are still composed of a purified antigen or a whole, inactivated pathogen combined with adjuvants. Alternatively, as is the case for yellow fever virus (YFV), measles, mumps and rubella, purified, live-attenuated virus vaccines are available. Both types of vaccines are expensive to produce and require a cold distribution chain from manufacturer to patient, which is in particular hard to achieve in resource-poor or remote ...