Projects
The role of the paraoxonase gene family in obesity and obesity-associated liver disease following exposure to environmental pollutants or medical intervention strategies. University of Antwerp
Elucidating the role of Hexokinase 2 in physiology and disease. KU Leuven
Annually 2.8 million people die as consequences of obesity-associated disease, due to a lack of basic understanding of the disease and therefore an effective treatment. In response to sustained positive energy balance, fat cells store excess energy as lipids, leading to obesity. Obesity is associated with insensitivity to the glucose lowering hormone insulin and thus reduced glucose uptake into fat cells, a phenomenon termed insulin ...
Message in a bubble: adipocyte-derived extracellular vesicles as metabolic regulators in obesity-induced insulin resistance. Hasselt University
Chronic inflammation and blood brain barrier disruption in neurodegeneration Hasselt University
Development of a proprietary gel for Fat Grafting targeting Breast reconstruction. Ghent University
The aim of this project is to reduce the resorption rates in fat grafting procedures with our novel injectable gel material. The combination of the gel and adipose tissue-derived stem
cells plays the key supporting role in enhanced fat graft survival. The goal of this project is to establish a preclinical data set demonstrating the improved fat graft survival via increased cell viability, reliability and safety of our novel ...
Carbohydrates: friend or foe of obesity and its complications? KU Leuven
With more than 650 million patients worldwide and a prevalence that will only increase further, obesity has become one of the biggest health-threats of the 21st century. Obesity is such a big problem because it induces a systemic inflammation that causes a lot of co-morbidities including cardiovascular disease and cancer. The biggest risk factor for obesity and obesity-associated inflammation is a western diet, high in fat and carbohydrates. ...
Biofabrication of complex and vascularized tissues via hybrid bioprinting KU Leuven
The biofabrication of 3D biomimetic tissue analogs, which accurately mimic the properties of native tissue, have an enormous potential in biomedical applications (drug discovery, cancer research, regenerative medicine,…). A basic prerequisite for the survival, maturation and function of 3D engineered tissues is the establishment of blood vessels. The most critical challenge in complex tissue engineering is the integration of a hierarchical ...
Deciphering the molecular pathways needed to restore monocyte dysfunction during Acute-on-chronic liver failure KU Leuven
Angiogenesis, neurogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in the early development of endometriosis using a menstruating mouse model KU Leuven
Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent gynecological disease, characterized by the growth of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus. The most common symptoms are dyspareunia (pain during sexual intercourse), dysmenorrhea (pain during menstruation), chronic pelvic pain, infertility, and chronic fatigue.
Sampson’s theory of retrograde menstruation is the most accepted theory to explain the pathogenesis of endometriosis, and ...