We tissue-engineer in vitro, skeletal muscle consisting of aligned myofibers. To create the so-called bio-artificial muscle (BAM), human muscle progenitor cells are expanded, and a 3D construct is created by mixing the cells with a hydrogel. The cell-gel mix is cast into custom-made silicone molds

Last updated on: 08-12-2020 - 17:46

Contact: Lieven Thorrez
Organisation: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL)
Status: Published in peer reviewed journal
Reverse pharmacology is a high-throughput in vitro method to characterise ligand-receptor interactions. In this method, a receptor of interest is expressed in a heterologous cell line and used as a hook to fish out its ligand(s) from a library of synthetic compounds. Receptor activation is measured

Last updated on: 17-04-2020 - 09:56

Contact: Isabel Beets
Organisation: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL)
Status: Published in peer reviewed journal
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans provides a powerful model system to study fundamental working mechanisms of the nervous system in a living animal. It's main advantages are its compact nervous system that has been fully mapped, its short generation time and amenability for genetic research. As a

Last updated on: 17-04-2020 - 09:55

Contact: Isabel Beets
Organisation: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL)
Status: Published in peer reviewed journal
Performing biopredictive dissolution tests in in vitro models that are frequently used in pharmaceutical and academic institutions and using these in vitro dissolution data as input for PBPK models to predict the systemic exposure of the drug in humans/patients.

Last updated on: 08-04-2020 - 17:29

Contact: Bart Hens
Organisation: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL)
Status: Published in peer reviewed journal
We study the influence of food parameters on the digestive kinetics of diverse nutrients throughout the upper gastrointestinal tract. For this, we use a static in vitro digestion protocol based on the standardized, consensus method recommended by the INFOGEST consortium. Briefly, the food is first

Last updated on: 31-03-2020 - 21:01

Contact: Tara Grauwet
Organisation: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL)
Partners: INFOGEST consortium
Status: Published in peer reviewed journal
The objective of this ex-vivo model is to study the initial pulp-tissue reaction of the human pulp tissue to different pulp-capping materials. Methodology: Freshly-extracted (mainly due to orthodontic reasons) healthy human teeth (impacted third molars) from young individuals (15-20 years old)

Last updated on: 24-03-2020 - 16:32

Contact: Mariano Pedano
Organisation: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL)
Partners: Aix-Marseille University
Status: History of use, Internally validated, Published in peer reviewed journal
Most of the current rigid-body models of the complete thoracolumbar spine do not properly model the intervertebral joint as the highly nonlinear stiffness is not incorporated comprehensively and the effects of compressive load on stiffness are commonly being neglected. Based on published in vitro

Last updated on: 19-03-2020 - 11:07

Contact: Wei Wang
Organisation: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL)
Partners: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Status: Published in peer reviewed journal
Design and fabrication of microfluidic devices that allow manipulation and analysis of (single) cells. Droplet-based as well as digital microfluidics can be applied and are suitable for a wide variety of (non-adherent) cells. Different materials can be used for the fabrication of the microfluidic

Last updated on: 10-03-2020 - 14:54

Contact: Cannot be disclosed
Organisation: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL)
Status: Still in development, Published in peer reviewed journal
Organotypic epithelial raft cultures accurately reproduce the process of epithelial differentiation in vitro and can be prepared from normal keratinocytes, explanted epithelial tissue, or established cell lines. Normal primary human keratinocytes (PHKs) stratify and fully differentiate in a manner

Last updated on: 04-03-2020 - 14:34

Contact: Graciela Andrei
Organisation: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL)
Status: History of use, Internally validated, Published in peer reviewed journal
Brain from treated and not treated mice is collected after death. Tissue is fixed in 4% PFA for 4 days. After specific cutting (ex. L and R hemisphere) tissue is placed in a cassette. Cassette is placed in Tissue Processor (where water from the tissue is removed and replaced with paraffin). Brain is

Last updated on: 04-03-2020 - 14:20

Contact: Cannot be disclosed
Organisation: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL)
Status: History of use, Internally validated