Seminars and thesis defences

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 
 

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
 

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