Projects
The intestinal microbiota of pollinators: a treasure chest of novel and unexploited diversity Ghent University
Bumble bees, bees and wasps are key pollinators of plants, yet are threatened by a range of biotic and abiotic factors such as pathogens and climate change. It becomes increasingly clear that for these pollinators too, the gut microbiota can protect and promote growth of their host. We aim to characterize the culturable gut microbiota of a large number of pollinators and to investiga their functional role.
Fat metabolism by the human intestinal microbiota Ghent University
This proposal for doctoral research deals with the metabolic potency of human intestinal microorganisms towards lipids. Mixed microbial slurries will be investigated with in vitro technology. Fundamental knowledge will be gathered concerning the relationship between intestinal bacteria and the human fat metabolism. The acquired knowledge may moreover result in a couple of applications in the food industry.
Metabolic potency of human intestinal microbiota towards ingested arsenic and consequences for microbe-host interactions Ghent University
This research will provide a more complete risk assessment for oral exposure to arsenic. A new in vitro module with the co-culture of microorganisms and Caco-2 cells will provide unique and novel information on As speciation changes. Elucidating the mechanism behind microbial As metabolism in the gut may point towards strategies to mitigate the risks from oral As exposure.
Microbes-4-Immunity: single-cell based sorting and investigation of the functional microbiome in intestinal and extra-intestinal immune homeostasis. Ghent University
The high incidence of chronic inflammatory and auto-immune disorders in a Western lifestyle is associated with the microbiome. It’s however extremely difficult to identify the functional microbiota, modulating immunodevelopment and -homeostasis. This project will generate new insights in microbehost interactions using a unique combination of flowcytometric cellsorting, access to clinical samples and an in vitro and in vivo technology ...
Link between intestinally generated uraemic metabolites and proteins and gut microbiome in CKD and proof-of-concept. Ghent University
This project investigates the link between the gut microbiome, intestinally generated metabolites and CKD through wet-lab and bioinformatics,. Experiments with Caco-2 cells are used to investigate how short-chain fatty acids can affect the transport and uptake of uremic toxins and precursors. In silico, the CKD microbiome, and possible targets to restore imbalance, are explored.
Crosstalk between MUC13 signalling and the mucosal microbiota in gastric cancer development. University of Antwerp
How does the microbiota modulate neonatal gut maturation? Determination by in vitro and in vivo porcine models. KU Leuven
From birth, the gastrointestinal system gets colonised by microorganisms such as bacteria which collectively constitute the gut microbiota. Bioactive compounds such as oligosaccharides from colostrum and milk play an important role in driving this early colonisation process through their interactions with the host. It remains to be seen however how the sensitivity of intestinal cells and gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) to ...