Projects
The role of Nav1.9 in the IBS-related symptoms Ghent University
The de novo heterozygous p.L811P (c.2432T>C) gain-of-function mutation in the voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channel subtype 1.9 (gene name SCN11a) leads to congenital insensitivity to pain phenotype. Aside from sensorial distortions not associated with skin conditions or inflammation, which also includes severe pruritus, patients frequently report gastrointestinal (GI) distortions and discomfort that culminates in multiple hospital admissions ...
Collen-Francqui Start-up Grant 2021 - 2024 Hasselt University
Heterogeneity and tissue imprinting of intestinal resident macrophages revisited: from transcriptome to function KU Leuven
Intestinal macrophages are essential components of the gastrointestinal tract and exhibit highly specific functions depending on their anatomical location within the gut. Lamina propria macrophages face the gut lumen and are involved in bacterial clearance, initiation of adaptive immunity and installing oral tolerance. In contract, macrophages residing in the muscularis externa regulate intestinal peristaltic activity through direct crosstalk ...
The vagus nerve as modulator of intestinal immune homeostasis. KU Leuven
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract constitutes the largest mucosal surface that is continually exposed to a wide range of antigens and potential immune stimuli including various dietary antigens and commensal bacteria. For this reason, the intestinal mucosal tissue contains the largest number of immune cells participating to an elaborate network of cells and effector molecules to defend the host from the external milieu. In order to maintain ...
Functional deciphering of thyrostimulin-related signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans growth regulation KU Leuven
Animals are continuously subjected to a great variety of environmental changes throughout their lifetime. In order to survive, animals need to adjust their biological systems to maintain a stable and relatively constant internal environment, regardless of their environmental conditions. Homeostasis is the self-regulating process that is responsible for this internal equilibrium. The nervous and endocrine systems are crucial players in the ...
Study of intercellular transmission and neurotoxicity of alfa-synuclein in an animal model for Parkinson's disease using optogenetic neuromodulation KU Leuven
Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy Bodies and multiple system atrophy are age-related and devastating neurodegenerative disorders that are characterized by the presence of large proteinaceous clumps of the ɑ-synuclein protein scattered throughout the patient’s central nervous system. The identification of ɑ-synuclein in Lewy bodies made it clear that this protein has a central role in the etiopathogenesis of several age-related ...
Developing software and hardware methods tailor-made for neuroscience microscopy recordings KU Leuven
Many aspects of life are controlled by neuronal circuits that integrate multiple inputs to produce a balanced output, which is used to accurately control reflexes and behaviour. The complexity of neural control varies substantially in different organisms, ranging from rather simple circuits in lower organisms with limited numbers of neurons and connections (e.g reflex control in the snail Aplysia) to the highly complex circuitry of the human ...
Disentangling the different macrophage subsets in the peripheral nerve Ghent University
Unlike the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system is endowed with unique capacities to restore nerve conductancy upon mechanical injury. In this regenerative process, macrophages are thought to play an essential role. Still, in contrast to the microglia in the brain, the ontogeny and function of PNS macrophages has never been thoroughly investigated. We used a model of nerve crush to study the origin and functional role of ...