Projects
The foes and friends among the adaptive immune system in Alzheimer’s disease Ghent University
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with an increasing prevalence. Although well-studied, there are still many questions about the origin of AD. Recently, it became evident that inflammation, both peripheral and central, plays an important role. This increase in knowledge can be attributed to the rejection of the long-held belief that the brain is an immune-privileged site. By now it is becoming increasingly ...
New molecular tools for diagnostic and treatment of systemic amyloidosis KU Leuven
Systemic amyloidosis are rare, severe, progressive, systemic diseases caused by the accumulation of misfolded proteins into amyloid fibrils that deposit into vital organs. The massive deposition of amyloids leads to severe organ damage, metabolic dysfunction and are ultimately fatal. Two proteins, immunoglobulin light chain and transthyretin (TTR) account for the majority of systemic amyloidosis cases. In all amyloidosis cases current ...
Proof-of-concept longitudinal follow up of cryptococcosis in mice: Assessment of host-pathogen interaction by using in vivo imaging modalities (MRI, multi-photon microscopy) KU Leuven
Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii (CN/ CG) have emerged as significant human pathogens, giving rise to potentially life-threatening diseases. Infection typically occurs when pathogenic particles are inhaled, leading to pulmonary disease. Following this, dissemination to other organs, particularly the central nervous system, can occur, resulting in the development of meningoencephalitis and/or focal lesions. The precise mechanism ...
The changing HER2 biomarker testing policy: Impact and training for the Belgian pathology laboratories KU Leuven
Human epidermal growth factor 2 is known to be overexpressed in approximately 15 to 20% of all breast cancers. To guarantee proper high quality testing in daily clinical practice, ASCO/CAP have developed guidelines. Three different versions have been written since 2007, aiming to generalize and standardize analytical aspects and interpretation of HER2 testing. The Latest version, published in 2018, aims to optimize identification of HER2 ...
A fully automated system for the generation of stained tissue slices for scientific research. KU Leuven
Nanoparticle formulations of toll-like receptor agonists and oxaliplatin for local intraperitoneal delivery to treat colorectal peritoneal metastasis Ghent University
1 in 4 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer will develop peritoneal metastasis (PM), characterized by the spread of numerous tumor nodules in the peritoneal cavity. Despite cytoreductive surgery and local or IV chemotherapy, 80% of patients develop disease recurrence. Most peritoneal metastases correspond to the CMS4 subtype, which is immune suppressive and characterized by the worst overall survival. Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists, ...
Sleep cycle correlation with learning and olfaction, memory and sleepless condition KU Leuven
Over the decades, a plethora of different studies endeavored to answer an apparently basic question: why do animals sleep? Several sleep theories have been presented and fluctuations in biological patterns have been measured during sleep, but the purpose remains elusive. Nowadays, the crucial problem correlated to the definition of the exact role of sleep is that there is an incomplete notion of what sleep really is: its understanding is ...
Understanding the spatio-temporal changes of the metastatic lymph node epicenter KU Leuven
Lymph nodes (LN) are the first metastatic relay before cancer disseminate to distant organs. There is growing evidence that tumor-emanating signals create a premetastatic niche in sentinel LN that facilitate metastatic cell dissemination. However, the mechanistic underpinnings of how tumor cells induce a pre-metastatic niche in LNs and escape cell death and immunosurveillance upon seeding in the LN are less understood. The PhD project aims to ...
Aggressive salivary gland neoplasms: institutional-international collaborative evaluation of advances in clinical management and translational research into tumor biology KU Leuven
This Phd is focuses on evaluating and improving the treatment options for aggressive salivary gland neoplasms. Within this domain we have two aims. (1) Setting up a (prospective) database for salivary gland tumors with retrospective completion of available data. This will give the data for several institutional and international collaborative studies. Eg: a. Parapharyngeal space tumors b. Recurrent pleiomorphic adenoma c. Parotid Carcinoma ...