Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL-Bruxelles)
Programm of Seminars and Conferences of
the Louvain Drug Research Institute and of the doctoral school in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences
Academic year 2017-2018

Prof. Manuel Simoens
REQUIMTE/LAQV, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

A perspective on biofilm formation and control using natural products

Related publications:

• Ribeiro et al. Cytotoxicity and antimicrobial action of selected phytochemicals against planktonic and sessile Streptococcus mutans. Peer J. 2018 Jun 4;6
• Abreu et al. Combinatorial approaches with selected phytochemicals to increase antibiotic efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus biofilms. Biofouling. 2016 Oct;32(9):1103-14
  

info : J. Leclercq <joelle.leclercq@uclouvain.be>

Lucy Catteau
Pharmacognosy, LDRI

Identification of natural molecules as antimicrobials or beta-lactams resistance modifying agents against Staphylococcus aureus

related publications:

• Catteau et al. Synergy between ursolic and oleanolic acids from Vitellaria paradoxa leaf extract and beta-lactams against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: in Vitro and in Vivo Activity and underlying mechanisms. Molecules (2017) 22:2245
• Catteau et al. Preliminary evidences of the direct and indirect antimicrobial activity of 12 plants used in traditional medicine in Africa . Phytochemistry Reviews (2015) 14:975–991
  

Promotors : J. Leclercq <joelle.leclercq@uclouvain.be> and F. Van Bambeke

Prof. Marie-Caroline Michalski
Laboratoire de Recherche en Cardiovasculaire Métabolisme Diabétologie et Nutrition
INSA-Lyon, Villeurbanne, France

Metabolic impacts and inflammatory aspects of emulsifying dietary fat

related publications

• Vors et al; Emulsifying dietary fat modulates postprandial endotoxemia associated with chylomicronemia in obese men: a pilot randomized crossover study. Lipids Health Dis. 2017 May 25;16(1):9
• Lecomte et al; Dietary emulsifiers from milk and soybean differently impact adiposity and inflammation in association with modulation of colonic goblet cells in high-fat fed mice. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2016 Mar;60(3):609-20
• Michalski et al; Metabolic and inflammatory impacts of emulsified fat [in French]; OCL 2017, 24(2), D203
  

info : N. Delzenne <nathalie.delzenne@uclouvain.be>

Prof. Pascal Kienlen-Campard,
Institute of Neurosciences

Folding of APP membrane regions: the shape of Alzheimer's disease to come?

related publications

• Decock et al (2016) Glycines from the APP GXXXG/GXXXA Transmembrane Motifs Promote Formation of Pathogenic Abeta Oligomers in Cells. Front Aging Neurosci 8:107.
• Decock et al. (2015) Analysis by a highly sensitive split luciferase assay of the regions involved in APP dimerization and its impact on processing. FEBS Open Bio 5:763-773.
• Tang et al. (2014) Conformational Changes Induced by the A21G Flemish Mutation in the Amyloid Precursor Protein Lead to Increased Abeta Production. Structure 22:387-396.
  

info : F. Van Bambeke <francoise.vanbambeke@uclouvain.be>

Luc Randolph
Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, Dental Regenerative and Innovative Materials, LDRI

Changing camphorquinone for a more efficient photo-initiator in dental filled resins

related publications:

• Randolph et al. The effect of ultra-fast photopolymerisation of experimental composites on shrinkage stress, network formation and pulpal temperature rise, (2014) Dental Materials 30 (11), 1280-1289
• Randolph et al. Ultra-fast light-curing resin composite with increased conversion and reduced monomer elution, (2014) Dental Materials 30 (5), 594-60
• Randolph et al. Photopolymerization of highly filled dimethacrylate-based composites using Type I or Type II photoinitiators and varying co-monomer ratios (2016) Dental Materials 32 (2), 136-148
  
  

Promotor : G. Leloup <gateane.leloup@uclouvain.be>

Dr. Marianela Sánchez
Departamento de Química Orgánica
Universidad de Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, Argentina &
Pharmacognosy, LDRI

Bioactive compounds from Argentinian native flora: the chemistry point of view

related publications

• Fernández et al. Synthesis and antifungal activity of bile acid-derived oxazoles. Steroids, 2016, 108, 68-76.
• Fernández et al. Antifungal Terpenoids from Hyalis argentea var. latisquama. Journal of Natural Products, 2014, 77, 1579-1585.
• Fernández et al. Antioxidant neolignans from Cordia americana. Planta Medica, 2013, 79, 1724-1729.
  

info : J. Leclercq <joelle.leclercq@uclouvain.be>

Prof. Marianne Fillet
Laboratory for the Analysis of Medicines,
Department of Pharmacy,
University of Liège, Liège.

Microfluidics in the context of drug development

related publications

• Nys et al. Whole blood microsampling for the quantitation of estetrol without derivatization by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2017 Jun 5;140:258-265.
• Farcas et al. Partial filling affinity capillary electrophoresis as a useful tool for fragment-based drug discovery: A proof of concept on thrombin. Anal Chim Acta. 2017 Sep 1;984:211-222.
• Farcas et al. Fully automated electrophoretically mediated microanalysis for CYP1A1 activity monitoring optimized by multivariate approach. Electrophoresis. 2016 Jan;37(2):248-55.
  

info : F. Van Bambeke <francoise.vanbambeke@uclouvain.be>

Prof. Laurent Martinez
Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease,s INSERM / Université de Toulouse UMR1048, Toulouse, France

F1-ATPase / P2Ys pathways in the metabolic and vascular functions of High Density Lipoproteins (HDL)

related publications

• Cardouat et al. Ectopic adenine nucleotide translocase activity controls extracellular ADP levels and regulates the F1-ATPase-mediated HDL endocytosis pathway on hepatocytes. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2017;1862(9):832-841
• Castaing-Berthou et al. PI3Kß Plays a Key Role in Apolipoprotein A-I-Induced Endothelial Cell Proliferation Through Activation of the Ecto-F1-ATPase/P2Y1 Receptors. Cell Physiol Biochem. 2017;42(2):579-593
  

info : N. Delzenne <nathalie.delzenne@uclouvain.be>

Céline Schoonjans
Biomedical Magnetic Resonance Group (REMA/LDRI) and Pharmacotherapy Group (FATH/IREC).

Dr Maya Hites
Maladies infectieuses, Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles

Optimization of antibiotic therapy in obese patients

related publications

• Hites et al, Evaluation of total body weight and body mass index cut-offs for increased cefazolin dose for surgical prophylaxis. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2016 Dec;48(6):633-640
• Hites et al. Broad-spectrum ß-lactams in obese non-critically ill patients.Nutr Diabetes. 2014 Jun 23;4:e119
• Hites et al. Case-control study of drug monitoring of ß-lactams in obese critically ill patients. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2013 Feb;57(2):708-15
  

info : F. Van Bambeke <francoise.vanbambeke@uclouvain.be>

Dr Mireille Al Houayek, Ph.D.
Bioanalysis and Pharmacology of Bioactive Lipids Research Group, LDRI

The serendipitous discovery of the role of CYP1B1 in colon epithelial barrier integrity

info : G. Muccioli <giulio.muccioli@uclouvain.be>

Angele Modupe Dohou
Clinical Pharmacy & Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, LDRI

Dr Aurélie Crabbé
Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ugent, Ghent

3D lung epithelial models for infectious disease research and drug testing - Bridging the gap between bench and bedside

related publications

• Crabbé A et al (2017). Antimicrobial efficacy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation in a three-dimensional lung epithelial model and the influence of fetal bovine serum. Sci Rep. Mar 3;7:43321
• Crabbé A. et al (2011). Alveolar epithelium protects macrophages from quorum sensing-induced cytotoxicity in a three-dimensional co-culture model. Cellular Microbiology 13(3):469-481
• Barrila J. et al (2010). Organotypic 3D cell culture models: using the rotating wall vessel to study host-pathogen interactions. Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(11): 791-801
  

info : F. Van Bambeke <francoise.vanbambeke@uclouvain.be>

Prof. Frank Boury
INSERM CRCINA U1232 Cancer and Immunology Research Centre Nantes-Angers, France

Protein Encapsulation using Green Processes: Challenges and Perspectives

related publication

• Ergul Yilmaz et al., Protein encapsulation and release from PEO-b-polyphosphoester templated calcium carbonate particles. Int J Pharm. 2016;513(1-2):130-137. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2016.09.007.
  

info : A. des Rieux <anne.desrieux@uclouvain.be>

Dario Carradori
Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, LDRI & Université d'Angers, Laboratoire de Neurobiologie et Transgénèse, Angers, France

Novel nanoparticle-based drug delivery system for neural stem cell targeting and differentiation

related publications:

• Carradori et al. The therapeutic contribution of nanomedicine to treat neurodegenerative diseases via neural stem cell differentiation. Biomaterials. 2017;123:77-91.
• Carradori et al. Application of Nanomedicine to the CNS Diseases. Int Rev Neurobiol. 2016;130:73-113.
• Carradori et al. NFL-lipid nanocapsules for brain neural stem cell targeting in vitro and in vivo. J Control Release. 2016; 238:253-62.
• Carradori et al. The carbocyanine dye DiD labels in vitro and in vivo neural stem cells of the subventricular zone as well as myelinated structures following in vivo injection in the lateral ventricle. J Neurosci Res. 2016;94(2):139-48.
  

Promotor : A. des Rieux <anne.desrieux@uclouvain.be> and J. Eyer (Université d'Angers)

Arina Kozlova
CMFA research group/LDRI and LICR/DDUV

Dr Martin Beaumont
Metabolism and Nutrition, LDRI

Key role of bacterial metabolites derived from amino acids in the host-microbiota crosstalk 

related publications

• Beaumont, M. et al . (2017). Quantity and source of dietary protein influence metabolite production by gut microbiota and rectal mucosa gene expression: a randomized, parallel, double-blind trial in overweight humans. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. in the press
• Portune, K.J., et al (2016). Gut microbiota role in dietary protein metabolism and health-related outcomes: the two sides of the coin. Trends in Food Science & Technology.
  

info : N. Delzenne <nathalie.delzenne@uclouvain.be>

Catherine Léonard
Pharmacologie cellulaire et moléculaire, LDRI

Contribution of plasma membrane lipid domains to red blood cell (re)shaping

related publications:

• Leonard et al. Lipid domains and membrane (re)shaping : from biophysics to biology. In The role of the physical properties of membranes in influencing biological phenomena. J. Ruysschaert and R. Epand, editors. Springer series in biophysics. 2017. Vol. 19 pp 121-175
• Leonard et al. Contribution of plasma membrane lipid domains to red blood cell (re)shaping. Scientific Reports. 2017; 7:4264-4264.
  

Promotors : M.P. Mingeot-Leclercq <marie-paule.mingeot@uclouvain.be> & D. Tyteca

Céline Desmet
Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, LDRI

Dynamic changes of oxygenation in wound healing in mice diabetic models monitored by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) oximetry

related publications:

• Desmet et al,   Application of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) oximetry to monitor oxygen in wounds in diabetic models. PLoS ONE. 2015;10(12): e0144914
• Desmet et al, EPR monitoring of wound oxygenation as a biomarker of response to gene therapy encoding hCAP-18/LL37 peptide. Magn Res Med. 2017; DOI 10.1002/mrm26956
  

Promotors : B. Gallez <bernard.gallez@uclouvain.be> & P. Levêque

Sarah Pötgens
MNUT research group, LDRI

Aiswarya Viswanath
Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, LDRI

Dental stem cell delivery through new injectable matrices for spinal cord regeneration

related publications:

• Viswanath et al ; Extracellular matrix-derived hydrogels for dental stem cell delivery. J Biomed Mater Res A. 2017;105:319-328
• Vanacker, Viswanath et al; Hypoxia modulates the differentiation potential of stem cells of the apical papilla. J Endod. 2014;40:1410-8
  

Promotors : A. des Rieux <anne.des rieux@uclouvain.be>

Dr. Anne Fournier
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland and Clinical Pharmacy, LDRI

Utilization and optimization of anti-infective agents among patients hospitalized for severe burns

related publications

• Patel et al. Therapeutic drug monitoring of beta-lactam antibiotics in burns patients--a one-year prospective study.Therapeutic Drug Monitoring 2012; 34(2):160-4.
• Roberts et al. DALI: defining antibiotic levels in intensive care unit patients: are current ß-lactam antibiotic doses sufficient for critically ill patients? Clinical Infectious Diseases 2014; 58(8):1072-83
• Fournier et al. Impact of the introduction of real-time therapeutic drug monitoring on empirical doses of carbapenems in critically ill burn patients.Burns 2015; 41(5):956-68
  

info : S. Henrard <severine.henrard@uclouvain.be>

Dr. Moreno Galleni
Centre d'Ingénierie des Protéines, Université de Liège

Combinatorial design of proteins that specifically targets structured RNAs

info : F. Van Bambeke <francoise.vanbambeke@uclouvain.be>

Prof. Catherine Le Visage,
Université de Nantes, France

Polysaccharide hydrogels for cell therapy and regeneration of cartilage tissues

related publications

• Henry et al. Innovative strategies for intervertebral disc regenerative medicine: From cell therapies to multiscale delivery systems.. Biotechnology Advances, 2018, 36(1): 281-294
• Henry et al. Pullulan microbeads/Si-HPMC hydrogel injectable system for the sustained delivery of GDF-5 and TGF-ß1: new insight into intervertebral disc regenerative medicine. Drug Delivery, 2017; 24(1): 999-1010

info : A. des Rieux <anne.desrieux@uclouvain.be>

Pauline de Berdt
Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, Dental Regenerative and Innovative Materials, LDRI

Spinal Cord Injury: How could dental stem cells from human apical papilla take up the challenge?

related publications:

• De Berdt, Lambricht, et al. The type and composition of alginate and hyaluronic-based hydrogels influence the viability of stem cells of apical papilla. Dent Materials, 30(12):e349-61 (2014).
• De Berdt, Germain et al, Fibrin hydrogels to deliver Dental Stem Cells of the Apical Papilla for regenerative medicine. Regenerative Medicine 10(2):153-67 (2015)
• De Berdt et al, Dental Apical Papilla as Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury. J. Dent. Res, 94(11):1575-81 (2015)
  

Promotor : A. des Rieux <anne.desrieux@uclouvain.be>

Dr Céline Rivière
Univ. Lille, INRA, ISA, Univ. Artois, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, ICV - Institut Charles Viollette, Lille, France

Antimicrobials of plant origin: myth or reality?

related publications:

• Mahamodo et al., 2014. Antimicrobial prenylated benzoylphloroglucinol derivatives and xanthones from the leaves of Garcinia goudotiana. Phytochemistry, 102, 162-168.
• Sahli et al., 2017. Biocontrol activity of effusol from the extremophile plant, Juncus maritimus, against the wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, doi: 10.1007/s11356-017-9043-0.
• Sahli et al., 2017. An ecological approach to discover new bioactive extracts and products: the case of extremophile plants. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 69(8), 1041-1055.
  

info : J. Leclercq <joelle.leclercq@uclouvain.be>

Dr Vallo Varik
Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Estonia
(current affiliation: Pharmacologie cellulaire et moléculaire, LDRI)

Stringent response in bacterial growth and survival

Related publications:

• Putrinš M. Phenotypic heterogeneity enables uropathogenic Escherichia coli to evade killing by antibiotics and serum complement. Infect Immun 2015. PMID:25561706
• Varik V. Composition of the outgrowth medium modulates wake-up kinetics and ampicillin sensitivity of stringent and relaxed Escherichia coli. Sci Rep 2016. PMID:26923949
• Kudrin Pl. Subinhibitory concentrations of bacteriostatic antibiotics induce relA-dependent and relA-independent tolerance to beta-lactams. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2017. PMID:28115345
  

info : F. Van Bambeke <francoise.vanbambeke@uclouvain.be>

Dr. Nicolas Lanthier
Laboratory of Hepatogastroenterology, IREC

The role of the liver in insulin resistance: focus on hepatic macrophages and fetuin-A

Related publications:

• Lanthier N et al. Kupffer cell depletion prevents but has no therapeutic effect on metabolic and inflammatory changes induced by a high-fat-diet.
  FASEB J. 2011 Dec; 25(12): 4301-11.
• Lanthier N. Targeting Kupffer cells in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: Why and how?
  World J Hepatol. 2015 Sep 8;7(19):2184-8.
• Lanthier et al. Lipid, fetuin-A and macrophage zonation in high fat diet FOZ-FOZ mice with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.
  Clinical Nutrition 2017; 36(S1): S205.
  

info : N. Delzenne <nathalie.delzenne@uclouvain.be>

Prof. Ben Forbes
Institute of Pharmaceutical Science
King's College London, London, UK

Formulation approaches for retaining drugs in the lungs

Related publications:

• Bosquillon et al. A Comparison of Drug Transport in Pulmonary Absorption Models: Isolated Perfused rat Lungs, Respiratory Epithelial Cell Lines and Primary Cell Culture. Pharmaceutical Research (2017)
• Morgan et al. Lung inflammation does not affect the clearance kinetics of lipid nanocapsules following pulmonary administration. Journal of Controlled Release 235 (2016) 24-33
• Ong et al. In vitro and ex vivo methods predict the enhanced lung residence time of liposomal ciprofloxacin formulations for nebulization. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics 86 (2014) 83-89
  

info : R. Vanbever <rita.vanbever@uclouvain.be>

Prof. Charles-André Fustin
Institute of Condensed Matter and Nanosciences (IMCN); Bio- and Soft Matter division (BSMA)

Development of polypeptide-based nano-assemblies for a theranostic approach

Related publication:

• Ibrahimova et al. Photosensitizer localization in amphiphilic block copolymers controls photodynamic therapy efficacy. Nanoscale 9 (2017) 11180
  
  

info : V. Préat <veronique.preat@uclouvain.be>

Chiara Bastiancich
Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, LDRI

Lauroyl-gemcitabine lipid nanocapsule hydrogel for the local treatment of glioblastoma

related publications:

• Bastiancich et al. Anticancer drug-loaded hydrogels as drug delivery systems for the local treatment of glioblastoma. J Control Release. 2016 Dec 10;243:29-42.
• Bastiancich et al. Lauroyl-gemcitabine-loaded lipid nanocapsule hydrogel for the treatment of glioblastoma. J Control Release. 2016 Mar 10;225:283-93.
  

Promotor : V. Préat <veronique.preat@uclouvain.be>

Pauline Anrys
Clinical Pharmacy , LDRI

Developing, implementing and evaluating a complex intervention to optimize medication prescribing in the nursing home setting

related publications:

• Anrys, Strauven et al., Collaborative approach to Optimise MEdication use for Older people in Nursing homes (COME-ON): study protocol of a cluster controlled trial. Implementation Science. 2016 Mar 11, 11:35
• Anrys et al. STOPP/START version 2-development of software applications: easier said than done? Age and Ageing 2016; 45 (5), 589: 59
  

Promotors : A.Spinewine <anne.spinewine@uclouvain.be> and V. Foulon (KULeuven)

Prof. Tony K. Lam
Professor & J.K.McIvor Endowed Chair in Diabetes Research.
Canada Research Chair in Obesity.
Toronto General Hospital Research Institute & University of Toronto.
Associate Director, Banting and Best Diabetes Centre.
Canada

The glucoregulatory impact of the gut microbiota on the gut-brain axis

Related publications:

• Bauer et al. Metformin Alters Upper Small Intestinal Microbiota that Impact a Glucose-SGLT1-Sensing Glucoregulatory Pathway. Cell Metab. 2018 Jan 9;27(1):101-117
• Filippi et al. Dynamin-Related Protein 1-Dependent Mitochondrial Fission Changes in the Dorsal Vagal Complex Regulate Insulin Action.
  Cell Rep. 2017 Mar 7;18(10):2301-2309.
  

info : P. Cani <patrice.cani@uclouvain.be>

Marie-Julie Guichard
Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, LDRI

Development of a long-acting version of recombinant human deoxyribonuclease I for the treatment of cystic fibrosis lung disease

related publications:

• Guichard et al, Production and characterization of a PEGylated derivative of recombinant human deoxyribonuclease I for cystic fibrosis therapy, Int. J. Pharm. 524 (2017) 159-167. doi:10.1016/j.ijpharm.2017.03.057.
• Guichard et al, PEGylation, an approach for improving the pulmonary delivery of biopharmaceuticals, Curr. Opin. Colloid Interface Sci. 31 (2017) 43-50. doi:10.1016/j.cocis.2017.08.001.
  

Promotors : R. Vanbever <rita.vanbever@uclouvain.be> and T. Leal

Dr Martina Sboarina
MNUT, LDRI

Alteration of bile acid pathway in cancer cachexia and related steatosis

info : L. Bindels <laure.bindels@uclouvain.be>

Prof. Geroge Sakoulas
Division of Infectious Diseases
University of California, San Diego
USA

Antibiotics: Bacteriologic media show us only the tip of the iceberg

Related publications:

• Sakoulas et al, Nafcillin enhances innate immune-mediated killing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. .J Mol Med (Berl). 2014 Feb;92(2):139-49.
• Kumaraswamy et al. Standard susceptibility testing overlooks potent azithromycin activity and cationic peptide synergy against MDR Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2016 May;71(5):1264-9.
• Lin et al. Azithromycin Synergizes with Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides to Exert Bactericidal and Therapeutic Activity Against Highly Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacterial Pathogens. EBioMedicine. 2015 Jun 10;2(7):690-8.
  

info : L. Catteau <lucy.catteau@uclouvain.be>

Prof. Geroge Sakoulas
Division of Infectious Diseases
University of California, San Diego
USA

Combination antimicrobial therapy: Moving the discussion away from whether it is beneficial to assessing in whom it is beneficial.

info : J.C. Yombi <jean.yombi@uclouvain.be>

Dr Ludovic D'auria
CEMO, Institute of neurosciences

Lipids in membrane rupture and formation of extracellular vesicles: a role in pathogenesis of demyelinating diseases

Related publications:

• D'Auria, L. and E.R. Bongarzone, Fluid levity of the cell: Role of membrane lipid architecture in genetic sphingolipidoses. J Neurosci Res, 2016. 94(11): p. 1019-24.
• D'Auria, L., et al., Psychosine enhances the shedding of membrane microvesicles: Implications in demyelination in Krabbe's disease. PLoS One, 2017. 12(5): p. e0178103.

.info : A. des Rieux <anne.desrieux@uclouvain.be>

Dr Arnaud Vigneron
Cancer Research center of Lyon, France

Neoplastic potential and stemness features of mammary cancer cells rely on a metabolic network regulated by the glucocorticoids.

Related publications:

• Morel et al. A stemness-related ZEB1-MSRB3 axis governs cellular pliancy and breast cancer genome stability. Nat Med. 2017 Apr 10. doi: 10.1038/nm.4323
  

.info : V. Préat <veronique.preat@uclouvain.be>