Projects
Translational research into novel therapies for pelvic floor disorders KU Leuven
Pelvic floor disorders, including pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and genitourinary syndrome of the menopause (GSM) decrease the quality of life of many women. The mainstay of therapy for POP is a surgical correction, either using native tissues or substitutes, usually referred to as mesh. Surgery may however cause complications, in particular when using mesh. The recommended treatment of GSM is hormonal replacement, yet many patients do not ...
Research into the role and mechanism of caspase-7 in immunomodulation and in immunopathologies Ghent University
Recent experimental data within our unit suggests a differential role for caspase-3 and -7. Conditional caspase-7 deficient mice were generated to be able to further investigate these findings. These mice will be used in certain murine experimental pathology models (EAE, I/R) and derived cells will be used for ex-vivo experiments to clarify the non-redundant role of caspase-7.
In-vivo proof of concept of microbubbles based non-invasive dosimetry for radiotherapy treatment. KU Leuven
Cancer remains a major public health problem in the world which necessitates the need for further technological innovation towards effective treatment strategies. Next to surgery and chemotherapy, an important treatment option is radiotherapy in which tumor cells are destroyed by ionizing radiation. Although modern radio therapeutic treatment strategies have become very efficient by reducing radiation to adjacent (healthy) tissue whenever ...
Predicting chemoradiation response for gastrointestinal cancer patients using patient-derived tumor organoids. University of Antwerp
Seismology in the human body: exploring supersonic shear wave imaging for the assessment of arterial stiffness. Ghent University
Supersonic Shear wave Imaging (SSI) is used to characterize elasticity of soft tissues by generating and detecting shear waves (SW). SSI has proven successful for cancer diagnosis in breast and liver. Application of SSI to arterial walls is challenging due to complex SW propagation phenomena related to anisotropy and geometry of arteries. The project goal is to study SW physics in arteries by means of computer, in-vitro and ex-vivo ...
Novel strategies to increase the number and quality of donor lungs for transplantation KU Leuven
Lung transplantation is a lifesaving treatment option in well-selected patient with end-stage lung disease. Due to the successes of lung transplantation, transplant programs are expanding rapidly worldwide. However, two major problems impede optimal outcome early after lung transplantation. First, 10 to 30% of all lung recipients develop primary graft dysfunction, which is the leading cause of early morbidity and mortality after lung ...
In-depth investigation of small airway remodeling in COPD phenotypes and its relation with clinical and physiological markers. University of Antwerp
Antenatal Sildenafil To Prevent Pulmonary hypertension in congenital diaphragmatic Hernia (SToP-PH): moving from bench to clinical practice KU Leuven
Skin interaction of the cyclic depsipeptide mycotoxins Ghent University
This research project quantitatively characterises the interaction of cyclic depsipeptides (CDP) with human skin using ex-vivo in-vitro FDC experiments. This knwoledge is required for the global mycotoxin risk assessment due to skin-contact of contaminated cosmeceuticals, food, feed, indoor surfaces and airborne particles, but also for the development of topically applied new CDP-drugs, treating dermatological or systemic diseases after ...