UAntwerp – Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences
Blog Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences
Scientists at the University of Antwerp and KU Leuven have shown that blocking ferroptosis, a specific form of cell death, can better protect donor organs during transplantation. ‘We developed FXT-001, a small molecule that protects organs against ischemia–reperfusion injury, one of the main causes of early transplant failure,’ says Professor Tom Vanden Berghe.
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.