Projects
Refining the role of dual checkpoint inhibition in advanced lung cancer: a single-cell approach KU Leuven
Immunotherapy has brought long-awaited progress in the treatment of an expanding array of cancer types. Specifically, anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has become the backbone of first-line treatment of non-oncogene addicted advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with or without chemotherapy depending on PD-L1 expression level (based on KEYNOTE-024, KEYNOTE-089 and KEYNOTE-407). However, survival benefit is seen in a minority ...
Investigating thoracic aortic aneurysm pathogenesis at single-cell resolution. University of Antwerp
Single-cell map of the composition and evolution of adult Acute Lympjoblastic Leukemia. KU Leuven
Single-cell studies provide unprecedented resolution and are essential to understand complex and heterogeneous diseases such as adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. In this project I will sequence the DNA and RNA of thousands of individual leukemia cells per patient and at different time points. This will provide information about how leukemia develops; the exact types of cells that compose it and the sensitivity of the different cells to ...
Unraveling the role of transcription factor Prdm16 in regulating the cellular and (epi)genetic landscape of atherosclerosis at single-cell resolution KU Leuven
Our cardiovascular system is the first organ to develop. Diseases affecting it remain the leading cause of death worldwide. A prime factor to consider when designing treatments is that our vascular tree has an arterial and a venous arm, each coated on the inside by a monolayer of endothelial cells with distinct characteristics. An important consequence of this endothelial cell heterogeneity is that diseases are most often restricted to a ...
Unravelling the cellular landscape and the up- and downstream molecular mechanisms of peripheral arterial disease at single-cell resolution KU Leuven
Our cardiovascular system is the first organ to develop and diseases affecting it remain the leading death cause worldwide. A prime factor to consider when designing treatments is that our vascular tree has an arterial and a venous arm, each coated on the inside by a monolayer of endothelial cells (ECs) with distinct characteristics. An important consequence of this EC heterogeneity is that diseases are most often restricted to a particular ...
Understanding resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors by mapping the tumor-host ecosystem at single-cell resolution — cellsIMPACT - marie curie individual fellowship Joanna Pozniak Flanders Institute for Biotechnology
Targeting the lineage-specific long non-coding RNA LINC01212 as an effective anti-melanoma strategy. KU Leuven
Melanomas are aggressive malignant neoplasms of melanocytic origin, highly resistant to both chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As such, melanoma was viewed as an incurable beast for many decades and patients had virtually zero therapeutic options available. Fortunately, in the last few years major breakthroughs led to the introduction of effective therapies which significantly increased patients’ survival. Nonetheless, despite ...
Deep Sequencing of myelin-reactive T-cells to elucidate new disease mechanisms and identify correlates for treatment responsiveness. University of Antwerp
Disease Mechanisms in ALS [a Single Nuclei Sequencing Study of Patient-derived Material] KU Leuven
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is rare, fatal, neurodegenerative disorder primarily affecting the motor system with degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons. This leads to progressive muscle weakness limiting survival to 2 – 5 years after disease onset. Other brain regions can be affected as well, in particular the frontotemporal regions in up to 50% of patients. ALS is a hereditary disorder in 10-15% of patients, with mutations in ...