Projects
Advancing biomechanical profiling of musculoskeletal system from structure to function. KU Leuven
My research focuses on bridging my engineering background towards the functional profiling of the human locomotor system in health and disease. Through the integration of in-vitro, in-silico and in-vivo, clinical research, I aim to identify key biomechanical parameters and anatomical features that define the optimal functioning of the musculoskeletal system. Through my close collaborations with clinicians and the medical device industry, I ...
Biomechanical properties of lung to detect fibrosis in small animal models: a potential in vivo biomarker KU Leuven
Chronic progressive pulmonary fibrosis is a major life-threatening condition for which effective treatment is still lacking. The preclinical and clinical development of anti-fibrotic drugs is hampered by profound methodological challenges such as a lack of sensitive biomarkers for early detection of fibrosis/inflammation and non-invasively differentiating between inflammation and fibrosis. The ultimate goal of this PhD project is to use ex ...
Biomechanical models for predicting the acute and long-term outcome of endovascular repair in patients with type B aortic dissections Ghent University
An aortic dissection is a life threatening cardiovascular disease, characterised by at least one tear in the inner layer of the aortic wall. Due to this tear, blood can enter in the aortic wall and a part of the wall can delaminate, thus separating the blood flow into a false (i.e. abnormal blood path) and true lumen (i.e. normal blood path). One of the common treatments for an aortic dissection is the placement of a stent graft to seal the ...
Biomechanical testing and load transfer across the bone-cartilage interface (Ex vivo) KU Leuven
Articular joints are complex structures where soft cartilage is connected to hard mineralized bone tissue. Both tissues have unique adaptation mechanisms to deal with the biomechanical challenge of joining tissues with vastly dissimilar properties. However, the mechanisms of load transfer between cartilage and bone are not well understood and relatively little is known about the mechanical characteristics of the bone-cartilage interaction. ...
Biomechanical and morphological characterization of the foot in patients with posterior tibial tendon dysfunction. KU Leuven
This thesis will focus on patients with posterior tendon dysfunction (PTTD). Well known classifications of this disease are based on clinical outcome measurements. Which provide a base for decision making in the treatment of these patients. Little is known about the biomechanical characteristics of these patients. Besides kinematic differences we will focus on kinetics. Exploring the characteristics with different food models and making a new ...
Role of biomechanical stress in inflammatory arthritis Ghent University
Rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis are commonly occurring systemic diseases leading to
inflammation and tissue damage in joints. Until recently, there was no clear explanation for this
peculiar disease localization. Our team previously showed in a mouse model of spondyloarthritis
that biomechanical stress may be a critical factor in onset of enthesitis.
In this proposal we will explore the ...
Biomechanical Models of Cells during C. elegans Embryogenesis KU Leuven
The nematode C. elegans is widely used as a model organism to study embryonic development with the prospect to uncover conserved developmental mechanisms common to various animals. In spite of intensive research in this area, many observed cellular behaviors remain poorly explained, such as the reliable and nearly invariant cellular motions: How do cells find their correct positions in the embryo? Which positional cues do the cells follow? ...