Seminars and thesis defences

Thursday October 15, 2026 – 5pm – Auditoire 51G

Victoria FUCHS – TFAR CLIP

Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation: Insights from Real-World Data on Drug Interactions and Medication Adherence

Promotor: Prof. Séverine Henrard
Co-promotor: Prof. Anne Spinewine

Related publication:
•    Fuchs, V.A., Spinewine, A., Zerah, L. et al. Non-adherence and non-persistence of Direct Oral Anticoagulants among patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation: a French retrospective cohort study. Sci Rep 15, 10791 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-96030-6
•     Fuchs, V.A., Zerah, L., Spinewine, A. et al. Drug-drug interactions with direct oral anticoagulants in Belgian primary care patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. Sci Rep 16, 23253 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-53817-5

Info: severine.henrard@uclouvain.be

Wednesday September 16, 2026 – 3pm – Salle Martin V 42A (42 MART A)

Sophie LECOP – MNUT

Identification and evaluation of microbiome-based therapies to tackle cachexia in acute myeloid leukemia

Promotor: Prof. Laure Bindels

Related publication:
•    Pötgens SA, *Lecop S, Havelange V, Li F, Neyrinck AM, Neveux N, Maertens J, Walter J, Schoemans H, Delzenne NM, Bindels LB. Gut microbiota alterations induced by intensive chemotherapy in acute myeloid leukaemia patients are associated with gut barrier dysfunction and body weight loss. Clin Nutr. 2023 Nov;42(11):2214-2228. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2023.09.021. Epub 2023 Sep 25. PMID: 37806074.
•    Lecop S, Piron E, Neyrinck AM, Loriot A, Pötgens SA, Helaers R, Jacquet A, Morigny P, Scorletti E, Bilson J, Byrne CD, Cani PD, Rohm M, Vereecke L, Hitch TCA, Clavel T, Delzenne NM, Bindels LB. Mixed acid fermentation products from Lachnospira eligens counteract myotube atrophy. bioRxiv. 2026 Jun; doi: 10.64898/2026.06.10.729780.

Info: laure.bindels@uclouvain.be 
 

Wednesday, September 16, 2026 – 1pm – Salle De Visscher (74.00) 

Prof. Sander Rensen - Maastricht University, Nederland

Organoid approaches to study the clinical relevance of tumor-host interactions in cancer cachexia

Related publications :
•    Inflammation-associated intramyocellular lipid alterations in human pancreatic cancer cachexia. Deng M, Cao J, van der Kroft G, van Dijk DPJ, Aberle MR, Grgic A, Neumann UP, Wiltberger G, Balluff B, Schaap FG, Heeren RMA, Olde Damink SWM, Rensen SS. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2024;15:1283-1297. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.13474
•    Human pancreatic tumour organoid-derived factors enhance myogenic differentiation. Vaes RDW, van Dijk DPJ, Farshadi EA, Olde Damink SWM, Rensen SS*, Langen RC*. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2022;13:1302-1313. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.12917
•    Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity-inducing antibodies enhance the natural killer cell anti-cancer response against patient-derived pancreatic cancer organoids. Beelen NA, Aberle MR, Bruno V, Olde Damink SWM, Bos GMJ, Rensen SS*, Wieten L*. Front Immunol. 2023 Jul 14;14:1133796. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1133796

Info: laure.bindels@uclouvain.be
 

Tuesday Septembre 8 - 5pm - Auditoire Maisin

Juhans DECHENNE - CMFA 

Deciphering and Targeting Arginase-1 Oligomerization: A New Strategy for Enzyme Inhibition

Promoteur : Prof. Raphaël Frédérick

Publications :
•    Dechenne, J.; Wierzbicka, M.; Krimou, R.; El Aakchioui, A.; Malo Pueyo, J.; Messens, J.; Fillet, M.; Spillier, Q.; Frédérick, R. Examining Arginase-1 Trimerization Uncovers a Promising Allosteric Site for Inhibition. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2025, 68 (2), 1433-1445.
•    Dechenne, J.; Cobraiville, G.; Briois, V.; Fillet, M.; Spillier, Q.; Frédérick, R. Allosteric inhibition of Arginase-1 via acetylation-driven trimer disruption. Submitted in European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

Info: raphael.frederick@uclouvain.be
 

Thursday August 27, 2026 – 5:15pm – Auditoire 51E

Marie AUQUIERE – ADDB and BPBL

Investigating Bioactive Lipid- and MicroRNA-Loaded Extracellular Vesicles to Target Neuroinflammation

Promotor: Prof. Anne des Rieux and Co-promotor: Prof. Giulio Muccioli

Related publication:
•    Swain J., Dezanet C., Chalhoub H., Auquière M., Kempf J., Décout J-L., Mingeot-Leclercq M-P. Interest of Homodialkyl Neamine Derivatives against Resistant P. aeruginosa, E. coli, and β-Lactamases-Producing Bacteria—Effect of Alkyl Chain Length on the Interaction with LPS. Int J Mol Sci 22(16). 2021. 
•    Auquière M., Muccioli GG., des Rieux A. Methods and Challenges in Purifying Drug-Loaded Extracellular Vesicles. J Extracell Vesicles 14(6): e70097. 2025.
•    Auquière M., Terrasi R., Gratpain V., Vanderstraeten J., Cronemberger-Andrade A., Mozaheb N.,  Mingeot-Leclercq M-P., des Rieux A., Muccioli GG.  Critical Evaluation of Saponin as a Permeabilizer for Anandamide Encapsulation in Extracellular Vesicles. Drug Deliv Transl Res. 2025. 
•    Auquière M., Santos-Coquillata A., Poupardin R., Cronemberger-Andrade A., Silva Brun A., Muccioli GG., des Rieux A. Microglial Activation State Shapes the Proteomic Content and Functional Properties of Extracellular Vesicles. Submited in GLIA.
•    Ma Z.#, Auquière M.#, Deltombe M., Dang HA., Yang J., Mwema A., Rodella G., De Geest BG., van Pesch V., Muccioli GG., des Rieux A. miR-181c delivery in neuroinflammation: LNP succeed where EV failed.  In preparation. #Co-first author.

Info: anne.desrieux@uclouvain.be
 

Thursday August 27, 2026 – 4pm – Auditoire 51G

Vladyslav SHAPOVAL – TFAR CLIP

Exploring barriers, strategies, and evaluation approaches for implementing benzodiazepine deprescribing in European older adults

Promotor: Prof. Anne Spinewine and Co-promotor: Prof. Séverine Henrard

Related publication:
•    López-Toribio M et al. (submitted in June 2026).  Process evaluation of the BE-SAFE cluster randomised controlled trial: a research protocol. BMJ Open. Under review
•    Shapoval V et al. (2025). Barriers to discontinuing benzodiazepine receptor agonists in older adults: a survey of older adults across Europe. Age and Ageing. doi:10.1093/ageing/afaf342
•    Shapoval V et al. (2025). Barriers to and enablers of supporting deprescribing benzodiazepines in older adults: a survey of European nonphysician healthcare professionals. Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology. doi:10.1111/bcpt.70100
•    Shapoval V et al. (2025). Barriers to deprescribing benzodiazepines in older adults in a survey of European physicians. JAMA Network Open. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.59883

Info: anne.spinewine@uclouvain.be 
 

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