Projects
Decoding neural responses to sounds in patients with disorders of consciousness for diagnostics and unlocking communication KU Leuven
A keystone in the diagnosis of patients with disorders of consciousness is the detection of command following, distinguishing patients in a vegetative state (i.e., awake, showing reflex movements but unconscious) from patients in a minimally conscious state (i.e., showing inconsistent but reproducible first signs of recovery of consciousness). Clinical assessment of these patients relies on the clinician’s ability to detect a behavioral ...
Dissecting the neural basis of flexible threat responses in the superior colliculus KU Leuven
When faced with unexpected threats, animals have reflex-like defensive behaviors that are surprisingly flexible, adapting to context, internal state, and past experiences. These behaviors are controlled by circuits that pass through the superior colliculus, creating a strong link between the eye and motor centers of the midbrain. The circuits responsible for defensive behaviors also receive input from brain regions that provide information ...
Signal processing algorithms for attention decoding of brain responses to natural stimuli in brain-computer interfaces KU Leuven
Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) enable the human brain to interact with machines, opening doors to various high-impact applications. However, most experimental BCI paradigms require the user to concentrate on synthetic and repeated stimuli, inducing fatigue and interfering with natural behavior. This unnatural interaction blocks the widespread usage of BCIs in daily-life situations beyond a few niche clinical applications.
In this ...
Antigen presentation and memory-like responses by porcine natural killer cells and their potential for alphaherpesvirus vaccine design. Ghent University
Herpesviruses are highly successful pathogens of man and animal. Over 4 billion people worldwide are infected with the best-known herpesvirus in man, herpes simplex virus (HSV). However, there is still no HSV vaccine. A successful HSV vaccine will need to activate several parts of the immune system. The immune system protects the body against infections, including by viruses, and is composed of several players. Concerning virus infections, ...
CD56+ human blood dendritic cells: unique mediators of strong natural killer and gamma-delta T cell activation to promote antigen-specific T cell immune responses in health and disease. University of Antwerp
ChitinOMix: The effect of chitin soil amendment on the plant response, natural microbial community and the fate of human pathogenic bacteria Ghent University
Vegetable consumption is considered important for a healthy diet Authorities encourage the consumption of fresh plant produce, but its food safety continues to be a major concern It is an accepted fact that human pathogenic bacteria including Salmonella enterica, are able to survive in plants Chitin is the second most abundant biopolymer in nature after cellulose Soil amendment with chitin has been shown to be promising for improving soil ...
Unraveling the role of invariant Natural Killer T-cells in the immune response to Streptococcus pneumoniae. KU Leuven
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of life threatening infections like meningitis, pneumonia and septicaemia and the main pathogen involved in otitis and bronchitis. Pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides are the most important virulence factor of S. pneumoniae. Anti-polysaccharide antibodies have shown to be crucial for opsonisation and effective phagocytosis of S. pneumoniae, thereby providing protection ...