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Biology and pathobiology of the hepatic progenitor cell niche. Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Leonardus van Grunsven
Cell Biology and Histology
Many adult mammalian tissues contain adult somatic progenitor cells (ASPCs) located in specialized micro-environments (local adult progenitor cell niches), that contain several cell types (ASPCs, 'transit amplifying' cells, non-stem niche cells) in contact with a specialized extracellular matrix. In the liver, canals of Hering (CoH), that connect to the terminal bile ducts (TBD) act as microscopic progenitor cell niches. CoH and TBD originate in ...

The hepatic progenitor cell niche under experimental conditions and in human liver disease Ghent University

Geert Leroux-Roels
Department of Clinical chemistry, microbiology and immunology

The purpose of this research proposal is to study the morphology, function and cellular physiology of the progenitor cell niche in the normal and diseased liver. Local adult progenitor cell niches are special microenvironments that contain somatic progenitor cells (ASPCs). The latter are generally slow-cycling cells which give rise to transit amplifying cells (TACs) that leave the niche. TACs cycle faster than progenitor cells but have a ...

Hepatocytic differentiation of hepatic progenitor cells in acute and chronic hepatocytic human liver diseases. KU Leuven

Tania Roskams
Translational Cell & Tissue Research, Hepatology, Stem Cell and Developmental Biology
Hepatocytes are the cells that normally shoulder the burden of regeneration after liver damage. However, when loss of hepatocytes is massive, or combined with inhibition of proliferative capacity of mature hepatocytes, activation of a dormant compartment of intrahepatic progenitor cells occurs. Hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) can differentiate towards either hepatocytes or bile duct epithelial cells based on impaired mature cell type. Upon ...

The hepatic progenitor cell niche: under experimental conditions and in human liver disease KU Leuven

Tania Roskams
Translational Cell & Tissue Research

The hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) are the stem cell-like cells of the liver. They are small, situated in the canals of Hering, and are characterized by a relative large oval nucleus and scanty cytoplasm. HPCs express both markers of (immature) hepatocytes (e.g. alpha-fetoprotein) and markers of cholangiocytes (e.g. cytokeratin K7 and K19) and can differentiate into cholangiocytes or hepatocytes. Nevertheless, the mechanisms behind ...

Paracrine and transcriptional regulation of renewal and differentiation of embryonic and adult multi-potent progenitor cells in vertebrates KU Leuven

Maurilio Sampaolesi
Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Stem Cell and Developmental Biology
The combined insights gained from developmental biology and stem cell (de)differentiation studies will be needed to create successful cell-based therapies. However, the derivation of fully funtional therapeutic cells that differentiate from stem/progenitor cells is much more complex than previously expected. For example, instructions to stem/progenitor cell cultures in an attempt to mimic what happens in vivo during normal development can still ...

Immunomodulatory actions of multipotent adult progenitor cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells in T cell alloreactivity assays. Implications for immunomodulating cell therapy. KU Leuven

Mark Waer
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Laboratory of Experimental Transplantation, Stem Cell and Developmental Biology
Cell-based therapy is becoming an important therapeutic tool in medicine and many research efforts are devoted to the exploration of various cell types for degenerative and immune-mediated diseases. One example is mesenchymal stem cells to control graft-versus-host-disease, an important immune complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the treatment of hematological malignancies. This research project aims to ...

Bipotential progenitor cells to treat cardiac and skeletal muscle degeneration in a large animal model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. KU Leuven

Maurilio Sampaolesi
Stem Cell and Developmental Biology

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) causes untreatable and progressive degeneration of cardiac and skeletal muscles. Cell therapies are emerging as curative approach to functionally regenerate damaged muscles, yet strategies to equally target both muscle types are still missing. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are raising new expectations in the field, given the unprecedented possibility of patient-matched cells virtually differentiating ...

Liver progenitor cells, their secretome and liver repair Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Leonardus van Grunsven
Cell Biology and Histology
Many chronic liver diseases can lead to hepatic dysfunction with organ failure, of which the prevalence in Europe is estimated to be approximately 29 million. Liver transplantation is the only validated therapy of end-stage liver disease, unfortunately problems of donor shortage still remain and a major challenge is to avoid patient death on the waiting list. Transplantation of isolated hepatocytes represents a treatment option for inborn errors ...