Projects
MulTplex project: Development of a combinatorial multi-epitope T-cell receptor (TCR), non-signaling chimeric antigen receptor (NSCAR) and immunosuppressive immune checkpoint (IICP)-disrupted adoptive T-cell therapy against leukemia. University of Antwerp
Neutrophil extracellular traps in cardiac fibrosis and heart failure KU Leuven
Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have led to a paradigm shift in studying thrombotic and inflammatory disease. NETs promote thrombus formation by providing a scaffold for platelet, red blood cell, and coagulation factor binding. We and others have recently described the contribution of NETs and the early NET inducer peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) to cardiac fibrosis development during aging in mice. Strikingly, aged PAD4-/- mice ...
FLEXIBRAIN: The study of telencephalic interactions at the basis of behavioral flexibility KU Leuven
Exploring the role of T cells in the ADNP deficiency model of syndromic autism. University of Antwerp
Deciphering the role of Piezo1 in age-specific loss of mechanosensation in the skeleton in vivo. University of Antwerp
Neutrophil extracellular traps in cardiac fibrosis and heart failure KU Leuven
Stabilization of atherosclerotic plaques via inhibition of intraplaque neovascularization. University of Antwerp
Design and development of a new vector platform for CXCR4-targeted molecular imaging and radionuclide therapy KU Leuven
The CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) is a well-described G protein-coupled receptor (GCPR) that is involved in different physio-pathological processes upon binding of its endogenous ligand CXC chemokine 12 (CXCL12). CXCR4 is expressed throughout development and adulthood on a variety of cell types including lymphocytes, endothelial, epithelial and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). CXCR4 plays a fundamental physiological role in hematopoiesis, ...
Boosting beta-cell function for treatment of type 1 diabetes KU Leuven
In type 1 diabetic (T1D) patients the pancreatic insulin-producing beta cells are selective destroyed by the immune system, leading to an impaired glucose metabolism. The steep increase in the incidence of this chronic autoimmune pathology especially in young children in the last decades raises serious concerns. To date, insulin therapy is considered the gold standard for the treatment of T1D. Nevertheless, limitations persist, such as the ...