Seminars and thesis defences

Prof. Erwin DREESEN, PharmD PhD
Assistant professor and head of the Pharmacometrics Research Group in the Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven

Model-Informed Precision Dosing: From Theory to Practice

Related publications:
•    Hoffert Y, Wang Z, Fumery M, Nachury M, Bazoge M, Buisson A, Dreesen E. A Risk Stratification Tool for Relapse After Intravenous-To-Subcutaneous Switching of Infliximab in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Am J Gastroenterol. 2026 Jan 1;121(1):179-186. doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000003466.
•    Vuong ML, Elkayal O, Van Daele R, Alffenaar JC, Stocker SL, Roberts JA, Debaveye Y, Wauters J, Mertens B, Boonstra JM, Sandaradura I, Marriott DJE, Brüggemann RJ, Schouten JA, Bergner R, Buijk S, Spriet I, Dreesen E. A fluconazole population pharmacokinetics study to improve target attainment in critically ill patients. Infection. 2025 Oct 14. doi: 10.1007/s15010-025-02663-0. 
•    Kantasiripitak W, Outtier A, Wicha SG, Kensert A, Wang Z, Sabino J, Vermeire S, Thomas D, Ferrante M, Dreesen E. Multi-model averaging improves the performance of model-guided infliximab dosing in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. CPT Pharmacometrics Syst Pharmacol. 2022;11(8):1045-1059. doi: 10.1002/psp4.12813.

Info: laure.elens@uclouvain.be
 

Prof. Antonio MACCHIARULO
Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Italy

Untangling the Complexity of a Moonlight Enzyme: A Biophysical Deep Dive into IDO1

Related publications:
•    Jeffery CJ. Moonlighting proteins. Trends Biochem. Sci. 1999. doi: 10.1016/s0968-0004(98)01335-8 
•    Pallotta MT, et al. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1): an up-to-date overview of an eclectic immunoregulatory enzyme. FEBS J. 2022. doi: 10.1111/febs.16086 
•    Coletti A. Ligand-induced conformations and dynamic allosteric motions of IDO1 affecting the recruitment of a protein signaling partner. Commun Chem. 2025. doi: 10.1038/s42004-025-01648-2

Info: raphael.frederick@uclouvain.be

Dr Alexandra DEGRAEVE - MNUT - Postdoctoral Researcher in Pharmacomicrobiomics

Contribution of the gut microbiome to pharmacokinetics to explain inter-patient variabilities: Tacrolimus and Methotrexate as Case Studies

Related publications:
•    Degraeve, A. L., Haufroid, V., Loriot, A., Gatto, L., Andries, V., Vereecke, L., Elens L. & Bindels, L. B. (2023). Gut microbiome modulates tacrolimus pharmacokinetics through the transcriptional regulation of ABCB1. Microbiome, 11(1), 138. doi : 10.1186/s40168-023-01578-y 
•    Degraeve, A. L., Villa Soto, V. S., Heath, C. M., Orellana, D. A., Reilly, E. R., Mukherjee, M., ... & Nayak, R. R. (2025). The gut microbiome shapes pharmacology and treatment outcomes for a key anti-inflammatory therapy. bioRxiv, 2025-06. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.26.661733v2.abstract 

Info: laure.bindels@uclouvain.be
 

Prof. Laure-Alix CLERBAUT 
Prof. at Faculty of Bio-Engineering (AGRO)
PI at Hepato-Gastroenterology (GAEN lab, IREC) and at Biochemistry of Nutrition and Environmental Toxicology (BNTE lab, LIBST)
For a farm to fork approach : introduction to the UCLouvain platforms (in LLN)
followed by the seminar
What happens when small meets smaller in the gut ?

Related publications:
•    Gillard J, Clerbaux LA, Nachit M, Sempoux C, Staels B, Bindels LB, et al. Bile acids contribute to the development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in mice. JHEP Rep. 2022;4(1):100387
•    Gillard J, Roumain M, Picalausa C, Thibaut MM, Clerbaux LA, Tailleux A, et al. A gut microbiota-independent mechanism shapes the bile acid pool in mice with MASH. JHEP Rep. 2024;6(11):101148

Info: amandine.everard@uclouvain.be
 

Friday June 5, 2026 – 4pm – Auditoire 51B

François PIERRARD – IMCN and LDRI CMFA

Design of Helical Peptides: From Cys–Cys Stapling to New Cys–Lys Methodologies
Conceptions de peptides hélicoïdaux: de l'agrafage Cys–Cys vers de nouvelles méthodologies d'agrafage Cys–Lys

Promotors: Prof. Raphaël Frédérick and Prof. Olivier Riant

Related publication:
François Pierrard, Yonghua Tan, Prisca Zongo, Vincent Stroobant, Perrine Savoyen, Khadija Wahni, Joris Messens, Olivier Riant, and Raphaël Frédérick. A General One-Pot Strategy for Thiol-to-Amine Peptide Stapling via S-Alkylation and Reductive Amination, submitted.

Info: raphael.frederick@uclouvain.be

The presentation will be in French.
 

Lisa FLASSE - IREC/LTAP
New mechanistic insights into the adverse outcomes of low-toxicity persistent particles

Mert Can YILDIRIM - TFAR/FACM
Asymmetric Membrane Properties as Determinants of Antibiotic Permeation, Activity, and Bacterial Adaptation

Info: mireille.alhouayek@uclouvain.be
 

Paul PARRENS – ADDB
Peptide derivatives against intracellular S. aureus persisters: selecting lead compounds for future formulation

Elsa TEMPERMAN - BPBL 
The effect of endocannabinoid-derived prostaglandins and of ABHD6 inhibition in lung inflammation

Info: mireille.alhouayek@uclouvain.be
 

Dr Bradley WARD - TFAR PMGK - Postdoctoral Researcher in Bioinformatics and Multi-Omics Integrated PharmacoMetrics, PharmacoGenomics and PharmacoKinetics

The use and development of exploratory multi-omic analysis for complex disease: A COVID-19 Proof-of-concept

Related publications:
•    Ward B, Yombi JC, Balligand JL, Cani PD, Collet JF, de Greef J, Dewulf JP, Gatto L, Haufroid V, Jodogne S, Kabamba B, Pyr Dit Ruys S, Vertommen D, Elens L, Belkhir L. HYGIEIA: HYpothesizing the Genesis of Infectious Diseases and Epidemics through an Integrated Systems Biology Approach. Viruses. 2022 Jun 23;14(7):1373. doi : 10.3390/v14071373. 
•    Bradley Ward, Sébastien Pyr dit Ruys, Jean-Luc Balligand, Leïla Belkhir, Patrice D. Cani, Jean-François Collet, Julien De Greef, Joseph P. Dewulf, Laurent Gatto, Vincent Haufroid, Sébastien Jodogne, Benoît Kabamba, Maxime Lingurski, Jean Cyr Yombi, Didier Vertommen, and Laure Elens. Deep Plasma Proteomics with Data-Independent Acquisition: Clinical Study Protocol Optimization with a COVID-19 Cohort. Journal of Proteome Research. 2024 23 (9), 3806-3822. doi: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.4c00104.
•    Bradley Ward, Laure B. Bindels, Jean-Luc Balligand, Bertrand Bearzatto, Guido Bommer, Patrice D. Cani, Julien De Greef, Joseph P. Dewulf, Laurent Gatto12, Vincent Haufroid, Sébastien Jodogne, Benoît Kabamba, Sébastien Pyr dit Ruys, Didier Vertommen, Jean Cyr Yombi, Leïla Belkhir, Laure Elens. Association of nasopharyngeal Dolosigranulum pigrum and Corynebacterium species with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 in a longitudinal cohort. Microbiology Spectrum. (in press).

Info: laure.elens@uclouvain.be
 

Wednesday April 22, 2026 – 4pm – Auditoire 51G

Chi-Hsien LEE – MNUT

Discovery of a novel myo-inositol to butyrate fermentation pathway and taxonomic expansion of the genus Dysosmobacter in the human gut

Promotor: Prof. Patrice Cani

Related publications:
•    Lee C-H, Bui TPN, Petitfils C, Jian C, Wong GC, Puel A, Le Roy T, Bellais S, Ben Abdallah B, Nehlich M, Leicht T, Jia M, Hoyles L, Federici M, Fernández-Real JM, Burcelin R, Dumas M-E, Delzenne NM, Clavel T, Boeren S, Troise AD, Scaloni A, Muccioli GG, de Vos WM, Van Hul M, Cani PD. Novel myo-inositol to butyrate fermentation pathway in the prevalent human gut species Dysosmobacter welbionis, a bacterium associated with improved metabolic and liver health. Gut. 2026; doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2025-336617.
•    Lee C-H, Petitfils C, Bui TPN, Van Der Smissen P, Delzenne NM, Tyteca D, de Vos WM, Van Hul M, Cani PD. Dysosmobacter phytatis sp. nov., isolated from human feces, with Oscillibacter acetigenes as a later heterotypic synonym of Dysosmobacter welbionis and Pusillibacter faecalis as a later heterotypic synonym of Dysosmobacter hominis. Submitted to IJSEM in 2026.

Info: patrice.cani@uclouvain.be