Projects
Fetal cell isolation and characterization for cell-based non-invasive prenatal genetic diagnosis. Ghent University
Non-invasive access to fetal cells during pregnancies would revolutionize the field of prenatal testing. This study will enable capture of fetal cells from the maternal blood stream that are suitable to perform massively parallel sequencing and genome wide genetic diagnosis.
In search of genetic modifiers for aortopathy in Loeys-Dietz families with a SMAD3 mutation. University of Antwerp
Characteristics of CGG-repeats in the human genome and in disease. University of Antwerp
Identification of novel therapeutic targets through multi-level (epi) genomic landscaping of replicative stress resistant neuroblastoma Ghent University
Neuroblastoma is a tumor arising from the nervous system and occurs almost exclusively in children. Unfortunately, about half of these tumor are very aggressive and despite very intensive treatment still difficult to cure. New techniques allow studying these tumor genomes in great detail and revealed very low rates of small genomic changes (mutations), whereas larger alterations that cause loss or gain of genomic segments occur very ...
Sequencing Expertise Centre (Life Sciences) Ghent University
This Sequencing Expertise Centre allows UGent researchers to apply the newest sequenering technologies in their research in Life Sciences. The Centre provides access to state-of-the-art sequencing infrastructure and supports the entire process from sample preparation up to data analysis. This Centre bundles existing expertise at UGent, facilitates the introduction of innovative technologies and improves access and visibility.
Elucidating the dark matter of the genome in central nervous system disorders. Ghent University
We aim to assess the functional impact of non-coding variation (i.e. both ingle nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and structural variants (SVs) residing in het non-protein-coding regions of the human genome) on neurodevelopment and -pathogenesis. The ultimate goal of this project is the identification of novel markers that may aid the diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) disorders and potential therapeutic targets. Our research group has ...
Evolution and transmission dynamics of gut microbiota species. KU Leuven
The intestinal microbiota is composed of multiple species of microorganisms that have important metabolic, immunological and protective functions for the host. Traditionally, the gut microbiota has been studied through the sequencing of DNA (metagenomics), which has permitted identifying what species are present in the community and what functions they encode. However, little is known about the individual species and strains that make up ...
Handling technology with care: The introduction of next-generation sequencing in diagnostic clinical practice KU Leuven
When the human genome was first mapped at the beginning of the 2000s, the expectations for its impact on our understanding of human health and clinical care were high. The gained knowledge and related enthusiasm for future achievements propelled the development of faster and more cost-effective DNA sequencing techniques. This Next Generation of Sequencing (NGS) allows big components, or even the whole human genome, to be mapped in a rapid, ...