Projects
Molecular pathogenesis in head and neck cancer: role tyrosine kinases. KU Leuven
In this work we primarily aimed to identify potential starting points for new therapeutic targeting ...
Mucus, the missing link in the pathogenesis of necrotic enteritis Ghent University
C. perfringens (CP) is the causative agent of many enteric diseases in both animals and humans, including necrotic enteritis (NE) in broilers, a disease characterized by necrosis and inflammation of the small intestine. In addition to NetB toxin, other virulence factors essential for NE disease development have been identified, although their function remains unknown. This project focusses on the early stages of NE pathogenesis with great ...
The molecular pathogenesis of Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy. KU Leuven
In this doctoral thesis, we have investigated the pathogenesis of late-onset Fuchs’ endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD).
FECD is a degenerative disorder of the corneal endothelium (CE). The CE is the inner layer of the cornea (the cornea is the transparent front part of the eye). The cornea does not contain blood vessels, but receives water and nutrients from the anterior eye chamber fluid (a.k.a. aqueous humor) and the tear ...
Unraveling the cellular landscape and (epi)genetic mechanisms at single-cell resolution and the effect of Prdm16 deficiency during the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension KU Leuven
Our vascular system has two loops, the systemic circulation for distribution of oxygen-rich blood to all organs and a pulmonary circulation for re-oxygenation of blood coming from these organs. Both loops have fundamentally different characteristics and it remains undetermined whether the endothelial cells lining the inside of the pulmonary circulation have a unique reaction to diseases. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) specifically ...
Study of DDR/PARP1 signaling in the pathogenesis and treatment of soft tissue mineralization, using pseudoxanthoma elasticum as a model. Ghent University
DNA damage response (DDR) mechanisms - in particular PARP1 signaling - are suggested to be important in the emergence of soft tissue mineralization (STM). A hallmark STM disorder is pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE), caused by mutations in the liver transporter ABCC6, with a complex and incompletely understood pathogenesis. Several dysregulated mediators in PXE show remarkable resemblance with PARP1 signaling cascades; our preliminary data show ...
Neutrophils: underestimated players in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) Hasselt University
The role of microglia in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s Disease KU Leuven
Accumulation of misfolded, aggregated proteins and the associated neuronal cell loss are characteristic hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD is characterized by the deposition of extracellular amyloid β (Aβ)-plaques, intracellular hyperphosphorylated Tau tangles, neuroinflammation, and neuronal loss. The classical dogma of AD describes Aβ as causing factor, which then, by uncharacterized mechanisms, ...
Neutrophils: underestimated players in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) Hasselt University
Determining the role of KIF5A in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pathogenesis KU Leuven
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of upper and lower motor neurons and leads to progressive paralysis and demise of patients in 2-5 years following diagnosis. This adult-onset disease is mostly sporadic in nature (90% of cases) but over the last decades, many causative mutations have been identified in both sporadic and familial ALS patients, uncovering diverse ...