Amoebae are natural eukaryotic predators of bacteria, yeasts, fungi and they are ubiquiste. They are excellent and easy-to-use cellular infection models, as they allow to co-cultivate any organisms in a broad range of infection medium, compatible with high quality microscopy techniques,
Last updated on: 19-05-2020 - 11:02
Contact: Charles Van der Henst
Organisation: Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Status: Internally validated, Published in peer reviewed journal
A calculated number of bacteria is injected through the pro-legs of the larvae. As several entry points are present, this allows to inject virulent bacteria and potential antimicrobial compounds within the same host. The survival of the larvae is scored over time (days post inoculation) until about
Last updated on: 19-05-2020 - 11:01
Contact: Charles Van der Henst
Organisation: Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Status: Internally validated, 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
The lab routinely use C. elegans culture as genetic model. We explore the development and the ageing of the neuromuscular system. The methods used regularly in our lab include molecular biology, generation of transgenic animals or mutants, crossings, genetic screen, calcium imaging, fluorescence
Last updated on: 02-12-2019 - 13:54
Contact: patrick laurent
Organisation: Université libre de Bruxelles
Status: Internally validated, Published in peer reviewed journal
The Galleria mellonella assay makes use of larvae of the Greater Wax Moth. G. mellonella larvae are injected with a small amount of microorganisms, and survival can easily be followed for up to 1 week. This allows to compare virulence between different organisms. Alternatively, after injection of
Last updated on: 08-11-2019 - 13:58
The C. elegans assay can be used to study the virulence of various microorganisms, and can be used to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of drugs or drug candidates. The two main outcome parameters are (i) survival of C. elegans and (ii) microbial load.
Last updated on: 08-11-2019 - 13:57
The chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) is a highly vascularized membrane which results from the fusion of two extra-embryonic membranes, namely the chorion and the allantois. The CAM is easily accessible for manipulation and imaging, but methodologies differ whether the chicken embryo stays within its
Last updated on: 08-11-2019 - 13:27