Projects
Stem Cell and Stromal Vascular Fraction Treatment for Penile Tunica Albuginea and Urethral Fibrosis KU Leuven
Fibrosis is a wound healing disorder and it is defined by the excessive accumulation of fibrous connective tissue, such as collagen and fibronectin, in and around inflamed or damaged tissue. Although collagen and fibronectin deposition is an indispensable and, typically, reversible part of wound healing, normal tissue repair can evolve into a progressively irreversible fibrotic response if the tissue injury is severe or repetitive or if the ...
Bioreactors and process monitoring for scale-up of stem cell production KU Leuven
For almost two decades it is claimed that cell-based therapies will revolutionize the field of medicine. Albeit major scientific breakthroughs that present cells as the active ingredient of a clinical therapy are succeeding each other at increasing speed, today only few of these research successes are able to materialise their full clinical potential and develop into a widely available commercial cell-based treatment. Besides the remaining ...
iPSC Technology and Bone Regeneration KU Leuven
Bone is a calcified tissue with multiple functions. It allows movement by providing attachment points for skeletal muscle, supports haematopoiesis, stores minerals and protects soft tissues and organs. Additionally, bone has the unique capacity to regenerate upon damage without scar formation or loss of function.
Bone fracture repair recapitulates embryonic endochondral bone formation. This process is characterized by the formation of a ...
EU FP7 project: OVER-MyR (FP7-HEALTH-2011-two-stage) Vrije Universiteit Brussel
The objective of OVER-MYR is to understand the causes of drug resistance and relapse, develop novel strategies to overcome these, provide proof of principal for phase I/II trial, and thus impact on MM-patient's survival.Currently-used drugs target both MM cells (MMC) and cells of the bone marrow (BM) ...
Modeling Renal Fibrosis in Zebrafish Using Aristolochic Acid I KU Leuven
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major global health problem that is characterized by a slow and progressive loss of kidney function. The endpoint of virtually all progressive renal diseases is fibrosis, characterized histologically by an excessive accumulation and deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) disrupting the normal histo-architecture of the organ.
The number of renal fibrosis patients doubled from 1990 to 2016 making it ...
Advances in the management of Obstetric Fistulae KU Leuven
In this thesis research on obstetric fistula is being presented. Obstetric fistula are complications of obstructive labour, where the foetal head compresses tissues against the bony pelvis. This induces ischaemia and necrosis of these tissues and subsequent fistulisation. The high prevalence of obstetric fistula in certain regions of developing countries is a hallmark of poor perinatal care
Epidemiological studies have shown that the ...
Local and systemic immune interactions in malignant gliomas KU Leuven
Glioblastoma (GBM), the most frequent primary intrinsic brain tumor, is without any doubt one of the most devastating diseases known to mankind. GBM are currently being treated with neurosurgical resection followed by radio- and chemotherapy. However, despite this treatment, prognosis for these patients is grim with a median survival of only 15 months and less than 20% 3-year survival rates. Already at diagnosis, GBM cells are infiltrating ...
The chicken cerebellum as a model to study the impact of monocarboxylate transporter 8 deficiency on early brain development KU Leuven
Thyroid hormones (THs) have been characterised as important regulatory factors of vertebrate brain development. As such, they contribute to a wide variety of neurodevelopmental processes that depend on adequate TH levels as well as a correct timing of TH access to distinct neural cells in order to obtain a fully functional brain. This strict regulation of local TH availability is the result of a complex interplay between TH transporters ...
Impaired secretory IgA production in chronic rhinosinusitis: role and regulatory mechanisms KU Leuven
Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS) represents a very frequent disease with an enormous impact on quality of life and work loss in our society. So far, its pathophysiology remains rather unclear and nothing is known about the role of immunoglobulin A (IgA), a protective antibody that seems to be dysfunctional in these patients. To study the role of IgA and its polymeric Ig receptor (pIgR) in vivo, we will test 3 models of different CRS phenotypes ...