The purpose of the present development is to use avian MoDCs to implement a cellular platform to increase understanding of the immune responses induced by various antigens of interest (e.g. vaccine candidates) and evaluate their immunogenic potential. Considering the difficulty to work on dendritic

Last updated on: 03-02-2023 - 08:51

Contact: Fiona Ingrao
Organisation: Sciensano
Status: Still in development
For the risk assessment of compounds migrating from food contact materials (FCM), information on the exposure to the migrant as well as its possible hazards is needed. To support the evaluation of both starting products and NIAS from plastic FCM, the VERMEER FCM tool has been developed within the

Last updated on: 29-11-2022 - 14:46

Organisation: Sciensano
Status: Internally validated
The main objective of this research project is to create the first full-thickness cornea-on-chip, which comprises a 3D construct with every cellular layer of the cornea. This construct is embedded in a microfluidic chip with two channels that are continuously perfused. The epithelial side of the

Last updated on: 27-07-2022 - 09:35

Contact: Joris Van Meenen
Organisation: University of Antwerp (UAntwerpen)
Status: Still in development
In silico tools are computer-assisted methodologies with a high-throughput that allow to predict the toxic potential of compounds without experimental testing. Consequently, in silico tools are time-, cost- and animal-saving in nature. The most commonly used methods are (quantitative) structure

Last updated on: 24-03-2022 - 11:25

Contact: Birgit Mertens
Organisation: Sciensano
Status: Published in peer reviewed journal
The tetanus neurotoxin (TeNT) is one of the most toxic proteins known to man, which prior to the use of the vaccine against the TeNT producing bacteria Clostridium tetani, resulted in a 20% mortality rate upon infection. The clinical detrimental effects of tetanus have decreased immensely since the

Last updated on: 22-03-2022 - 16:49

Contact: Celine Vanhee
Organisation: Sciensano
Status: Published in peer reviewed journal
We developed a high-throughput live-cell imaging-based organoid analysis platform, Organoid Brightfield Identification-based Therapy Screening (Orbits), that allows for kinetic monitoring of organoid growth and drug responses in routine extracellular matrix domes, high-throughput 384-well

Last updated on: 16-03-2022 - 13:59

Contact: Christophe Deben
Organisation: University of Antwerp (UAntwerpen)
Status: Internally validated
Cardiomyocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC-CMs) offer an attractive platform for cardiovascular research, including disease modeling, drug toxicity testing and development of regenerative therapies. Patient-specific iPSC-CMs are very useful to study disease pathogenesis and

Last updated on: 30-06-2020 - 14:13

Contact: Maaike Alaerts
Organisation: University of Antwerp (UAntwerpen)
Status: Still in development, Internally validated
Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) deficiency plays a pivotal role in aneurysm development. Unfortunately, access to native VSMCs of patients and (particularly) control individuals is extremely limited. It has been shown that iPSC-derived VSMCs recapitulate the yet known disease processes very well.

Last updated on: 03-06-2020 - 13:51

Organisation: University of Antwerp (UAntwerpen)
Status: Still in development, Internally validated
In view of safety of pregnant women, a promising in vitro zebrafish embryo developmental toxicity assay has been developed to test pharmaceutical and chemical compounds for their teratogenic potential. The protocol deals with exposing zebrafish embryos to a range of compound concentrations at 28°C

Last updated on: 06-01-2020 - 16:55

Organisation: University of Antwerp (UAntwerpen)
Status: Still in development, Published in peer reviewed journal