UAntwerp – Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences
Blog Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences
New research findings by Prof. Vincent Timmerman’s group has revealed common hallmarks in motor neurons of patients with different subtypes of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) type 2, including impaired axonal transport and mitochondrial dysfunction. Targeting these underlying disease mechanisms could pave the way for treatments that can help a larger group of CMT patients.
Prof. Tom Vanden Berghe and Prof. Koen Augustyns have received a 1.7M euro FWO-SBO grant to pave the way for a ferroptosis spin-off company. Together with a KULeuven team of transplantation surgeons, they will introduce ferroptosis inhibitors into the clinical practice of organ transplantation.
I’m Deborah Walter and I come from Südtirol, Italy. After completing a double Bachelor degree in Biochemistry in Austria and the Czech Republic, I decided to come to UAntwerp to do the Master in Biomedical science, with a focus on Neuroscience. I had just been at UAntwerp for one semester before everything was locked down due to COVID-19.
New research from Prof. Vincent Timmerman’s lab, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Oxford, has elucidated the structural changes caused by a mutation in the molecular chaperone Hsp27 (HSPB1). Chaperones are a group of proteins that have functional similarity and assist in protein folding. This work not only sheds light on an important disease-causing mutation, it also reveals an important mechanism by which this chaperone functions.
Researchers from the Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH) and the Toxicological Centre, have joined forces with the Belgian health agency Sciensano to measure levels of the Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater. This research builds on methodologies and expertise that were previously optimized by Prof. Peter Delputte and Prof. Alexander van Nuijs.
Despite decades of research and recent advances based on genetics and brain imaging, the exact mechanisms underlying Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and a viable and effective treatment are still undiscovered. Dr. Annelies Verlaet, a researcher in the NatuRA group is investigating the use of plant extracts for the treatment of ADHD.
Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical parasitic disease caused by Leishmania species that are transmitted by the bites of female sand flies. The failure rate of leishmaniasis treatment is rising in recent years due to the emergence of resistance to the major antileishmanial drugs. Evaluating the impact of drug resistance on parasite fitness is pivotal for monitoring its development and spread.
Gwendolyn Vliegen, a PhD student working with Prof. Ingrid De Meester in the Laboratory for Medical Biochemistry, just completed a study on identifying new diagnostic biomarkers for sepsis.
Prof. Hans De Winter and his team (Medicinal Chemistry Lab) have been granted a large amount of computer time on the Flemish Tier-1 supercomputer (VSC) to screen for small molecules that could inactivate the Coronavirus.
PhD training programs are often too focused on academia. Thanks to a European initiative, the Innovative Training Network, PhD students can perform research at two different universities and also obtain practical training in a pharmaceutical company.
Researchers from our faculty, together with researchers at Ghent University have discovered a new medicine against African ‘sleeping sickness’.