Unraveling the role of microbiota in the field of intestinal ischemia reperfusion injury and transplantation.

The transplantation of a solid organ from a deceased donor to a sick recipient is a very interresting theme located in the intersection of different disciplines, from surgical technique to immunosuppression management including, more than in others subjects, the field of research. In this last part, the study of the ischemia-reperfusion injuries is one of the main topic in all transplanted organ, not only because of the post-operative consequences but also because the organ ischemia is inherent of the procurement process. The small bowel is one of the least known transplanted organs, probably because of the waiting list exhaustivity and the highly selective criterias of the donor organ. However, it appears to be the only solution for patients who need a lifelong parenteral nutrition. Nevertheless, transplant this organ is a real challenge for physicians and researcher. The proximity of the intestinal microbiota, the high sensitivity of the hemato-intestinal barrier to ischemia and the strong needed immunosuppression are three parts of the problems who are interconnected and have to be understood to improve the peri-transplantation management of the patients. This research aim to find answer to this considerations using a rodent model. A well-established clamping model is already used in KULeuven en will be used at the beginning to continue the project previously started. Beside this, a intestinal transplant model in rodent already used across the world will be introduced in our lab to extend the first results to a stronger and more powerful model.