Participants
In order to know who you will be able to meet during this day we provide a bio sketch and information on research focus of all participants here.
Gunter Kenis | Maastricht University
Omics (proteome, transcriptome, (epi)genome) - In-vitro models
Psychoneuroimmunology, Induced pluripotent stem cells, Epigenetics mechanisms, genomics, Gene-environment interactions
My research focuses on mechanisms of gene-environment interactions in the context of psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Discoveries from several of our cohort studies yielded candidate pathways that are now being examined and validated at molecular level. For this, we are currently establishing patient-derived in-vitro models of stress-related disorders and Alzheimer’s Disease. Secondly, I am passionate about mind-body relationships, in particular the impact of peripheral inflammation on brain function. Here, we currently investigate the role of the tryptophan-kynurenine pathway as mediators in these processes, and how inflammation-induced activation of this pathway contributes to affective and cognitive deterioration in Alzheimer’s Disease.
Publications
Pablo Andrade | University of Cologne
Imaging - Electrophysiology / EEG - Clinical research
Deep brain stimulation, Connectomics
He graduated from Medical School at Anáhuac University in Mexico City and received a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Maastricht. After this, he completed his accreditation as a board-certified neurosurgeon in Germany, where he currently works as a senior consultant and associate professor at the University of Cologne. His clinical activities and research focus on the field of deep brain stimulation in neurological and psychiatric disorders. He leads the research group of Functional Neurosurgery at the University Hospital Cologne, which aims to study the correlation between structural and functional connectivity patterns and their clinical outcome using neuromodulation.
Publications
Ferdinand Binkofski | | RWTH Aachen University
Imaging - Clinical research
Cognitive Science
Arjan Blokland | Maastricht University
Clinical research
Memory, Neuroplasticity, Brain damage
He studied Psychology at the Radboud University (Nijmegen, NL). After receiving his PhD in Maastricht in 1992, he did a post doc at the University of Cambridge in 1992. This project was funded by NWO and investigated short-term memory processing in rats. In 1993 he took a position as laboratory head at Tropon (CNS research Bayer). He was responsible for testing novel compounds in animal models of aging and dementia. He successfully applied for a Royal Academy Fellowship (KNAW) grant and returned to Maastricht University in 1996. In this project the examined risk factors for cognitive aging and dementia. In 2009 he was appointed as an associate professor at the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience. His research is related to different topics related to learning and memory. One line of research is related to psychopharmacology of learning and memory, with the main focus on the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. He also was involved in evaluating animal models of neurological disorders (eg. depression, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease). Since many years he has been involved in the evaluation of drugs on memory performance in animals and humans. The aim of these studies was also finding translational tools in examining the predictability of treatments in animals to humans. For this purpose he also used EEG measures to compare the performance and drug effects in rodents and humans in different experimental cognitive paradigms. He has been working Since 2009 he is Head of Department Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, and since 2018 he has been appointed as a full professor in Comparative Neuroscience.
Publications
Jeroen Bogie | University of Hasselt
Omics (proteome, transcriptome, (epi)genome) - Animal models (behavior, knock-out/transgenes) - In-vitro models
Remyelination, Lipid Metabolism, Protein Acetylation, Glial and Immune cells
Born in 1983 and grew up in Geleen, the Netherlands. He received his
MSc degree in biomedical sciences from Amsterdam university in 2008, and subsequently received his PhD in neuroimmunology from Hasselt University (Belgium) in 2013, under the supervision of Piet Stinissen, Niels Hellings, and Jerome Hendriks. During his PhD, he defined the physiology of macrophages in multiple sclerosis (MS) and established that uptake and processing of myelin-derived cholesterol is pivotal in skewing macrophages towards a neuroprotective phenotype. As a FWO postdoctoral fellow at Rotterdam (Netherlands), Lille (France), Chulalongkorn (Thailand), and Hasselt University, Jeroen studied the impact of lipid metabolism on the functional properties of immune and glial cells in neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders such as MS and Alzheimer’s disease. During this time, he discovered that the fatty acid desaturase stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1, amongst other enzymes and proteins, controls the reparative properties of macrophages and microglia in the brain. In 2021, Jeroen accepted an assistant professor position at Hasselt University. Here, he aims to further investigate the metabolic blueprint of neurodegenerative
and rare auto-inflammatory disorders, focusing on protein acetylation in particular. Jeroen is currently co-heading the animal facility, a member of the faculty board life sciences, and actively involved in the coordination of the BSc and MSc curriculum biomedical sciences at Hasselt University. His research is supported by the Charcot Stichting Belgium, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Interreg, and the special research fund (BOF) Hasselt University.
Publications
Annelies Bronckaers | University of Hasselt
Animal models (behavior, knock-out/transgenes) - In-vitro models
Angiogenesis, TEM, dMCAO Stroke Model, Exosomes, Stem Cells.
I was born on 16/04/1982 and obtained my degree of Master in Biological sciences with summa cum laude at the KULeuven in 2004. In 2009, I completed my PhD at KULeuven on angiogenesis and tumour progression. From the 1/11/2009-30/09/17, I held a postdoc position at the UHasselt, in the group of I. Lambrichts, who is specialized in the use of dental stem cells for bone and nerve regeneration. At that moment, I continued to specialize on my passion, namely blood vessel and angiogenesis. My endeavours were focussed on the application of dental stem cells to improve angiogenesis and neuroregeneration. I gained expertise in stem cell biology, TEM, pathway analysis and in vivo angiogenesis and pulp regeneration models. Since 2017, I have a position as PI at Hasselt university. The focus of my research group is to explore new therapeutic strategies for ischemic stroke treatments. One strategy is to use low-frequency magnetic stimulation as a therapy for ischemic stroke. Other projects focus on inhibition of neuroinflammation or exosomes. Currently, my team is composed of 1 part-time lab technician, 1 postdoc and 4 PhD students. Our main techniques are cell culture, in vitro angiogenesis assays (using Incucyte), TEM, and dMCAO mouse model.
Besides stroke, my lab has also a main interest in using (dental) stem cells for tissue regeneration.
Publications
Bieke Broux | University of Hasselt
Omics (proteome, transcriptome, (epi)genome) - Animal models (behavior, knock-out/transgenes) - In-vitro models
Blood-brain barrier, Multiple sclerosis, T cells
She is Assistant Professor Immunology and PI of the “Chronic inflammation and Blood brain barrier disruption in Neurodegeneration” (CBN) lab, within BIOMED at Hasselt University. In addition, she manages the Flow Cytometry Unit at Hasselt University. During her PhD, Bieke studied T cell homeostasis in multiple sclerosis (MS), with a focus on cytotoxic CD4 T cells. She obtained a postdoctoral fellowship grant from the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO) and worked in the lab of Prof. Dr. Alexandre Prat (CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Canada) for two years. Here, Bieke was trained to study human and mouse blood brain barrier biology, in the context of neuro-inflammation. For her return to Belgium, she obtained a prestigious European ECTRIMS postdoctoral fellowship grant, as well as several bench fee grants (Belgian Charcot Foundation, FWO, Belgian MS support fund). With this funding, she successfully started a research line on the blood brain barrier in multiple sclerosis at the Biomedical Research Institute. In 2020, Bieke received the Global MS Research Booster Award, an international grant awarded biennially by the Dutch “Stichting MS Research” to boost the development of a postdoctoral fellow into an independent group leader, which was validated with an appointment as Assistant Professor starting September 1st 2021. She is the promotor of four ongoing doctorates, and co-promotor of two finished and two ongoing doctorates at Hasselt University and she has supervised over 30 bachelor and master students during their internships. The main research interests of the CBN lab are (regulatory) T cells, blood brain barrier disruption, intercellular communication via extracellular vesicles, and dietary influences on these processes, in the context of multiple sclerosis.
Publications
Philippe Gailly| Université catholique de Louvain
Animal models (behavior, knock-out/transgenes) - Electrophysiology / EEG
TRP channels, Memory, Synaptic plasticity
Our laboratory of cell physiology investigates the mechanisms regulating Ca2+ fluxes between intracellular medium, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), mitochondria and extracellular medium. In particular, we focused our research on TRP (Transient Receptor Potential) ion channels. We use microspectrofluorometric and electrophysiological techniques to decipher the gating mechanisms and the pharmacological properties of these channels and try to understand their
involvement in various physiological or pathological processes. My interest in TRP channels began early in my career when I was studying the mechanosensors involved in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disease caused by the lack of the cytoskeletal protein dystrophin. We now know that TRP channels are multimodal and can be activated by agonists, temperature, osmolarity or membrane tension. We observed for example that osmosensitive
TRPV4 channels are involved in important physiological functions such as systemic osmoregulation, blood pressure control or protein reabsorption. We are currently studying how these TRP channels act as mechano/temperature sensitive nociceptors and in particular how their mutations might cause neuropathic pain observed in family of patients carrying these mutations.
Publications
Marlies Gijs | Maastricht University
Imaging - Omics (proteome, transcriptome, (epi)genome) - Clinical research
Ophthalmology, Biomarkers, Biofluids
Assistant professor at the University Eye Clinic Maastricht, holds a master in Biochemistry and Biotechnology from the University of Antwerp and received a doctorate in 2015 in Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Liège. Her postdoctoral research at the University Eye Clinic of the Maastricht University included the development of a new drug delivery device for the eye. She demonstrated the safety and efficacy of a new drug delivery device for the eye in a human and animal trial. It also included tear fluid analysis of cytokines and relevant markers, as well as postmortem (animal) tissue investigations. Since 2019, she is appointed assistant professor of Molecular Ophthalmology. Her research focuses on the biochemical analysis of ocular fluids, particularly tear fluid, and the ocular surface. She has a broad background in biochemistry and laboratory technology with specific training and expertise in protein analysis. As PI or co-PI on several governmental-funded grants, she laid the groundwork a novel research theme by providing evidence (for the first time) of amyloid-beta and tau peptides in tear fluid of patients with cognitive impairment. Next to that, she focuses on ophthalmic conditions (dry eyes, keratoconus, conjunctivitis, uveitis) but also other diseases such as COVID-19. Besides her research work, she is involved as teacher at the Maastricht University. She teaches in research-oriented courses such as ‘designing scientific research’, ‘clinical trial design’, ‘grant writing workshop’, and in basic Ophthalmology courses (anatomy of the eye and top 3 ocular conditions).
Publications
Roberta Gualdani | Université catholique de Louvain
Imaging - Animal models (behavior, knock-out/transgenes) - In-vitro models - Electrophysiology / EEG - Clinical research
Ion channels, Biophysics
I’m currently an Assistant Researcher at the Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, and a Visiting Research Scientist at the Neurology Department, Yale School of Medicine.
I graduated in Chemistry at Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa (Italy) and I hold my PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Florence (Italy) dated 2012. I followed this with postdoctoral experience at the University of Florence and at UCLouvain.
I'm the recipient of the 2021 Belgian Pain Society Award, the 2021 EFIC Grünenthal Grant from the European Pain Federation, the 2019 Prix Léon et Henri Fredericq pour la Physiologie et Biophysique from the Académie Royale de Belgique.
Specific research areas I have focused on include the biophysical and pharmacological study of ion channels as therapeutic targets, with a special focus in the Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) family of channels. To this end, I combine the most advanced state-of-the-art techniques for ion channel research, including electrophysiology, fluorescence spectroscopy, biochemistry, molecular biology. I have also a wide experience in ion channel drug discovery and in the development of genetically modified mouse models for in vivo experiments.
Publications
Niels Hellings | University of Hasselt
Animal models (behavior, knock-out/transgenes), In-vitro models
De- and Remyelination
He graduated as master in bioscience-engineering at the Catholic University of Leuven (1996) and consequently obtained a PhD in immunology at Hasselt University (2000). He was visiting postdoctoral scientist at McGill University (Montréal), before returning to Hasselt University to setup his own research group. Currently, Niels Hellings is director of the biomedical research institute (BIOMED) and professor in immunology at the faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences at Hasselt University. He heads the neuroimmune connections & repair (NIC&R) lab that includes 2 tenure track professors, 3 post docs, 15 predocs and 2 technicians and published 110 peer reviewed articles (>3600 cites). The NIC&R lab focuses on immune mediated central nervous system damage and repair. To study this, a wide variety of immunological and glial cell assays are applied including functional human in vitro assays and high dimensional flow cytometry. BIOMED has easy access to well defined fresh patient samples through a strong collaboration with national and international neurologists. Apart from human in vitro studies, experimental animal models of neuroinflammation and -repair are up and running. In addition to basic research, collaborative valorization projects are set up with Flemish and international Biotech and Pharma. Niels Hellings is board member of the Belgian Immunological Society and Flanders Vaccine vzw.
Publications
Emmanuel Hermans | Université catholique de Louvain
Animal models (behavior, knock-out/transgenes), In-vitro models
Glutamate, pain, astrocytes, receptors, dopamine, neurotensin, transporters
He is specialist in fundamental pharmacology and in Neuropharmacology. Pharmacist (1990), PhD in neurochemistry (1994), full professor since 2012 (teaching neurophysiology, neuropharmacology and neuropsychopharmacology). Faculty dean since 2015.
My interest in the regulation of neurotransmission brought me to consider the role of astrocytes in the regulation of excitatory transmission and its modulation in nervous disorders. I have deeply investigated the molecular mechanism controlling the activity of glutamate transporters in astrocytes in models of neurological disorders, in particular in models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and in models of chronic/neuropathic pain. For these disorders, we maintain transgenic models and surgical models. We have also developed a platform for behavioural testing of locomotor activities and pain. The regulation of glutamate handling by glial cells (glutamate receptors, transporters, metabolizing enzymes, and exchanger) is studied both in vivo/ex vivo and in vitro. Considering my expertise and interest in pharmacology, we examine the impact of several soluble transmitters on these glutamate targets. We also test diverse drugs acting on neurotransmitter targets in glial cells as well as inflammatory mediators.
My second research topic, in line with my interest in pharmacology, focusses on the regulation of G-protein coupled receptor signalling at the molecular level that we investigate in cultured cell models. Beside a large experience in dopamine receptor, we presently consider the regulation of opioid receptor signalling, in line with our research on pain.
Publications
Daniel van den Hove | Maastricht University
Omics (proteome, transcriptome, (epi)genome) - Animal models (behavior, knock-out/transgenes) - In-vitro models
Neuroepigenetics, Neurobiology, Gene-environment interactions, Behavior, Translational neuroscience, Alzheimer's disease, Depression, Anxiety disorders, Prenatal stress
During his PhD at Maastricht University, Daniel focused on the relationship between prenatal maternal stress and adult psychopathology. His main interest was directed towards the biological mechanisms that may explain the increased prevalence of affective disorders in prenatally stressed subjects. As a post-doc and assistant professor, as a collaboration between the various divisions within MHeNs and the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Würzburg in Germany, Daniel moved towards investigating the role of gene x environment (GxE) interactions, and their underlying epigenetic mechanisms, in the pathophysiology of psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders like depression, panic disorder and Alzheimer’s disease. In 2020, Daniel was promoted to Professor in Neuroepigenetics at Maastricht University. Presently, Daniel is head of the Section Fundamental Neuroscience within the Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology. Furthermore, he is heading the Neuroepigenetics group within division 3 of MHeNs, as well as the Research Line Epigenetic Programming of Brain Development, Neural Plasticity and Networks at the University of Würzburg, addressing the role of epigenetic processes in mental health and disease (in a lifelong perspective). Amongst others, he has been coordinating the European H2020/JPND project EPI-AD, which addresses DNA methylation changes linking stress, depression and Alzheimer’s disease. See www.epi-ad.eu.
Publications
Aleksandar Jankovski | Université catholique de Louvain
Imaging, Electrophysiology / EEG
Spinal Cord
PhD Developmental neurobiology, MD Neurosurgery, Fields of research : Spinal Cord Anatomy, Electrophysiology and Imaging.
Publications
Pascal Kienlen-Campard | Université catholique de Louvain
Omics (proteome, transcriptome, (epi)genome) - Animal models (behavior, knock-out/transgenes) - In-vitro models
Alzheimer's disease, Neurodegeneration, Synpatic transmission, Biomarkers, Proteinopathies
I graduated in biochemistry and molecular biology and received a PhD in neurobiology from the University of Strasbourg . My main research interests are the investigation of the molecular mechanisms shifting the neuronal context from physiological to pathological in Alzheimer's disease. We developped more specifically molecular tools (viral vectors, editing and expression tools) and multiplex biomarker arrays to investigate the molecular events underpinning the amyloid pathology and related neuronal dysfunctions. I am currently head of the Aging and Dementia research group (AGAD) at the Institute of .Neuroscience, UCLouvain.
Publications
Christophe Lefebvre| Université de Lille
Imaging - Omics (proteome, transcriptome, (epi)genome) - In-vitro models
Microglia, Extracellular Vesicles
Professor in Cell and Molecular Biology at Lille University. After obtaining his PhD degree in the laboratory of Neuroimmunology of Annelids in 2002, he studied the immune response in the mosquito at the Simon Fraser University, Vancouver BC. Back in Lille, his scientific research focused on the crosstalk between microglia and neurons in the medicinal leech and mammals. Microglial functions were progressively studied through their production of extracellular vesicles (EVs) as key players in cell-to-cell communication. Current projects still focus on microglia involvement in the neuroinflammatory balance and remodeling of the extracellular matrix of the nervous parenchyma leading to brain metastasis.
Publications
Valéry Legrain| Université catholique de Louvain
Electrophysiology / EEG - Clinical research
Nociception, Cognition, Behavioral Neuroscience, Neurophysiology
The main research interest of my research group is to understand the cognitive mechanisms modulating the link between nociception and the conscious perception of pain, and the neurobiological substrates of these cognitive mechanisms. Different approaches are used: neurophysiology (EEG, ERPs, SSEPs, TMS), cognitive psychology (mental chronometry, psychophysics) and neuropsychology (investigation of patients with chronic pain, sensory deprivation, or attentional deficits). The following topics are currently studied: selective attention, working memory, multisensory interaction & peripersonal space, body representation, motor control, central sensitization, hypnotic analgesia & learning.
Publications
Giulia Liberati | Université catholique de Louvain
Imaging - Electrophysiology / EEG
Nociception, Neural oscillations, Intracerebral EEG, Insula
I am interested in investigating how pain perception emerges from human brain activity, and in particular, from ongoing neural oscillations within different frequency bands. For my studies, I mainly use scalp and intracerebral EEG.
Publications
Sara Morley Fletcher | Université de Lille
Omics (proteome, transcriptome, (epi)genome) - Animal models (behavior, knock-out/transgenes)
HPA axis, Early life stress, Glutamate
Expertise in animal models of early Life stress.
Main topic of research : epigenetics programming by perinatal stress ; integrated approach from behavior to molecule , maternal behavior ; oxytocin ; glutamate; circadian rhythms ; sex differences
Publications
André Mouraux | Université catholique de Louvain
Electrophysiology / EEG - Clinical research
Pain, Touch
André Mouraux (MD, PhD) is a neurologist, Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of UCLouvain, Brussels Belgium, and current president of the Belgian Pain Society. Using non-invasive functional neuroimaging techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), combined with novel techniques to selectively activate specific classes of nociceptive afferents, his research follows two main axes (http://nocions.org). First, to understand how the human brain processes nociceptive sensory input and how this leads to the perception of pain. Second, to understand the plastic changes in nociceptive pathways that occur after inflammation, injury or sustained nociceptive input that induce peripheral and central sensitization and may underlie the development of chronic pain in humans. André Mouraux is currently involved in two EU projects aiming at evaluating biomarkers of nociception (IMI2 PainCare, H2020 QSPainRelief).
Publications
Irene Neuner | RWTH Aachen University
Imaging - Electrophysiology / EEG - Clinical research
Multimodal Imaging
Vice-Chair Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen, Germany. Head of Multimodal Imaging in Clinical Neuroscience, INM4, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
Publications
Ehsan Pishva | Maastricht University
Omics (proteome, transcriptome, (epi)genome)
Integrated analysis
I am an assistant professor of dementia genomics at the department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University. My research focuses on multiomics approaches to neurodegenerative disorders including early biomarkers, disease sub-typing and gaining insights to underlying mechanisms.
Publications
Jos Prickaerts | Maastricht University
Omics (proteome, transcriptome, (epi)genome) - Animal models (behavior, knock-out/transgenes) - In-vitro models - Electrophysiology / EEG - Clinical research
Plasticity, Cognition
Jos Prickaerts is professor of Experimental Neuropsychopharmacology and the head of division Translational Neuroscience, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNS), Maastricht University. His research line focuses on signal transduction and plasticity. In particular the role of phosphodiesterases (PDEs) in this respect is being studied. His major aim is to unravel the mechanism of action of signaling pathways both in health and disease (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, multiple sclerosis), while at the same time exploring the therapeutic potential of key players in the affected signaling pathways. New cognitive enhancers are developed as well as repurposing studies with PDE inhibitors and sGC stimulators are performed. Study grants have been obtained from pharmaceutical industry, Dutch Government and the Alzheimer Netherlands Foundation. His research involves working with in vitro cellular models and in vivo rodent models, as well as human volunteers and patients (Alzheimer, CVA).
Publications
Thibaut Sesia | University of Cologne
Animal models (behavior, knock-out/transgenes) - Electrophysiology / EEG - Clinical research
Deep Brain Stimulation, Alzheimer's disease, Tourette syndrome, Animal model
I graduated from Maastricht University in 2010 with a thesis on the effect of the high-frequency electric stimulation of the nucleus accumbens sub territories on impulsive behaviors. I did my first postdoc in the Grace lab at Pittsburgh University, where I learned in vivo electrophysiology and animal modeling (OCD). I continue my postdoc at the University of Baltimore in the O'Donnell lab and Cheers Lab, learning freely moving electrophysiology and light stimulation (optogenetic tools in general) on different animal models (Huntington's disease and cocaine addiction). In 2016, we opened the lab for experimental neurosurgery that I currently lead, where we aim to develop new neuromodulation strategies for patients suffering from neuropsychiatric disorders. Our current research interest lies in Alzheimer's disease, Tourette syndrome, and neuropathic pain.
Publications
Alexander Skupin | University of Luxembourg
Imaging - Omics (proteome, transcriptome, (epi)genome)
Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's disease, iPSC, single cell RNAseq, multi-omics, image analysis
Alexander Skupin studied physics at the Humboldt University in Berlin and graduated in 2004 under supervision of Lutz Schimansky-Geier with work on noise-induced effects in neuronal networks. In 2008, he obtained his PhD in theoretical biophysics at the Humboldt University for his interdisciplinary work on calcium signaling with Martin Falcke. After his first postdoc focusing on metabolism with Oliver Ebenhöh at the Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam, he spent 2 years at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle (USA) where he continued his interdisciplinary work with Aimee Dudley on Systems Genetics, with Sui Huang on cell fate dynamics and with David Galas on information flow in biological systems. In 2014, he started his interdisciplinary “Integrative Cell Signalling” research group at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine where his team combines microscopy and single cell analysis techniques with theoretical concepts from physics to investigate principles of living matter and their implications for health and disease. Currently, he is focusing on investigating mechanisms of neurodegeneration by characterizing differentiation dynamics of patient derived iPSC by multiomics approaches and imaging based characterization of human post mortem brains together with mechanistic modeling.
Publications
Jean-Marc Taymans| Université de Lille
In-vitro models
LRRK2, Parkinson's disease
A Bio-engineer from the KU Leuven (Belgium, 1994). He started his professional career as a vaccine process engineer at SmithKline-Beecham Biologicals (Rixensart, Belgium, 1995-99) before starting PhD research at the graduate school of Neurosciences in Amsterdam (Free University of Amsterdam). He performed his doctoral research in the research labs of Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development (Beerse, Belgium, 1999-2003), studying schizophrenia-related proteins in the basal ganglia.
In 2004 Dr. Taymans joined the KU Leuven to research the molecular pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease genes. From 2009-2010 he was a Fulbright scholar at the National Institutes of Health, working with Dr. Mark R. Cookson. He joined the Jean-Pierre Aubert Research Center in Lille (France), a mixed Inserm - Université de Lille - Lille University Hospital center, in October 2014 to further develop PD protein signaling studies while integrating clinical translation of experimental findings in patient biosamples. In September 2017, he was appointed Associate Professor in Neuroscience at the Université de Lille.
Dr. Taymans’s research has focused since 2004 on the cellular signaling processes of LRRK2, using a multidisciplinary approach from biochemical analysis to cellular models to in vivo validation in models and the application of this knowledge to therapeutic and clinical biomarker applications.
Publications
Tim Vanmierlo | University of Hasselt
Omics (proteome, transcriptome, (epi)genome) - Animal models (behavior, knock-out/transgenes) - In-vitro models
Cognition Remyelination Phosphodiesterase Multiple Sclerosis Alzheimer's disease
Tim Vanmierlo is heading a research line on repair-inducing cognition enhancers in neurodegenerative disorders on a joint position between Hasselt University and Maastricht University. Therapeutic research in neurodegeneration mainly focuses on molecular mechanisms and disease hallmarks, but an improvement on the functional level is often neglected. Therefore, the research line on preclinical repair-inducing cognition enhancers in neurodegeneration couples a cognitive readout to molecular interventions in treatment of CNS damage so that we can provide a translational interpretation towards first-in-man trials. We focus on neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.
Publications
David Wilson | University of Hasselt
Imaging, Omics (proteome, transcriptome, (epi)genome), Animal models (behavior, knock-out/transgenes), In-vitro models
DNA repair
He was born in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois in the United States of America. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Biology and Political Science from Bucknell University. He did his PhD doctoral studies at Loyola University – Stritch School of Medicine in the Molecular Biology Program under the direction of Dr. Mark R. Kelley. He conducted post-doctoral training in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Toxicology at Harvard University – School of Public Health under the guidance of Dr. Bruce Demple. His independent research career began at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the Biology and Biotechnology Research Program as a Senior Scientist, before moving to the National Institute on Aging (Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health), where he was a Senior Investigator and Chief of the Repair of Endogenous DNA Damage Section. Prof. Dr. Wilson began his current position at Hasselt University in the Neurosciences Group of BIOMED in 2020. The broad aims of the GRAND (Genome Repair in Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease) Team are to (i) define the biochemical and molecular choreography of key DNA repair mechanisms, particularly those related to oxidative DNA damage, (ii) determine how defects in these processes give rise to degenerative disease and aging, and (iii) develop mechanism-based therapeutic approaches that preserve genome integrity and function and promote healthspan.
Publications
EURON PI Symposium
Registration website for EURON PI SymposiumEURON PI Symposiumsecr.euron@maastrichtuniversity.nl
EURON PI Symposiumsecr.euron@maastrichtuniversity.nlhttps://www.aanmelder.nl/pi2022
2022-05-11
2022-05-11
OfflineEventAttendanceMode
EventScheduled
EURON PI SymposiumEURON PI Symposium0.00EUROnlineOnly2019-01-01T00:00:00Z
Université catholique de LouvainUniversité catholique de LouvainPl. de l'Université 1, 1348 Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, België 6211 LK Maastricht Belgium