Projects
UPTIDER (UZ/KU Leuven Program for post-mortem Tissue Donation to Enhance Research), a unique setting to unravel treatment resistance and disease progression in patients with breast cancer. KU Leuven
Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) -driven dissection of the microbiome’s multi-factorial impact on colorectal cancer (CRC) immune-landscape to guide clinical immunotherapy. KU Leuven
The neurovascular link: an unexpectedly important role of metabolism. KU Leuven
This Methusalem project will focus on unraveling the molecular and cellular basis of the formation of blood vessels (angiogenesis) in health and disease, and in particular the role of vascular metabolism and vascular heterogeneity herein, with the ultimate goal to identify novel therapeutic pro- or anti-angiogenic strategies.
Current anti-angiogenesis therapies (AATs), by targeting the pro-angiogenic factor VEGF, suffer resistance and ...
From gene to function: Unraveling the molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer-associated ABCA7 risk variants in microglia biology using patient-derived iPSCs and chimeric mice models. University of Antwerp
Immunological memory of the macrophage niche (MacNicheMemo) Ghent University
Past infections increase the likelihood to develop intestinal, hepatic and neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting the existence of a tissue-specific immune memory. We hypothesize that the immune memory of tissues is largely contained within self-maintaining tissue-resident macrophages, that are
long-lived and very plastic. We discovered that the self-maintenance and tissue-specific identities of resident macrophages are instructed by ...
An integrated translational platform to improve the management and outcome of rare heritable connective tissue disease Ghent University
This interdisciplinary project aims to improve the outcome of heritable connective tissue disease. Using deep phenotyping techniques in combination with advanced genetic analysis, both in the clinic and in animal models, we expect to uncover molecular mechanisms which will inform better disease management strategies. In parallel, we aim to identify novel therapeutic targets using unbiased phenotypic screening in zebrafish models.
Immunological memory of the macrophage niche (MacNicheMemo). Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Immunological memory of the macrophage niche (MacNicheMemo). KU Leuven
MICRO-TOX: Unravelling the in vitro toxic effects of the mycotoxin beauvericin, bacterial toxin cereulide and cyanobacterial microcystins, and their interactions with co-exposed microplastics Ghent University
Over the lifetime, humans are exposed to an infinite number of toxic chemical contaminants present in the foods and environment. In the past, researchers were focusing on single or a group of similar toxins in order to understand their harm on the body. However, this does not reflect the toxic effects of the real co-exposure to several food and environmental contaminants on the body. Currently, the effects of exposure to a complex mixture of ...