The lab: De Strooper group
Lab's research themes:
We investigate the basic mechanisms causing Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease starting from the genetic forms of these disorders.
Alzheimer disease: Please read "The cellular phase of Alzheimer's Disease" PMID 26871627.
We use spatial and single-cell transcriptomics and proteomics to analyze the cellular pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease. we use human brain material, human iPS cell culture, brain organoids and human-mouse chimeric mice to understand this human-specific disorder. We identify drug targets and validate them in our humanized animal models. we follow human biomarkers secreted in the blood of the humanized mouse models we have developed.
Merits of the lab:
I have trained & hosted 40 postdoctoral researchers including several MD. They have all moved to top positions in different institutes and pharma. My group has more than 10 nationalities and is mixed with a majority of women.
We have weekly lab meetings with the whole group, we have workgroup meetings in function of the different projects and I see all my researchers for individual discussions once every two weeks. The people work in small teams, involving usually one or two postdocs and a technician, sometimes a PhD student as well. There is great intellectual freedom and I promote independence.
Why do we want medical doctors?
I am myself MD.
- Collaborations with the university hospitals in Leuven: Rik Vandenberghe (head of the memory clinic) and with Dietmar Thal (world renown neuropathologist, expert in Alzheimer's Disease)
-Collaboration with UCL: Nick Fox, Mark Busche, Jon Schott.
The position
What’s the main purpose of our research?
I discuss projects at the moment of application. My work is focused on Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegeneration and my main goal is to identify pathophysiological mechanisms that can be targeted for drug development. As indicated above we use only human systems or iPSC based models to test our hypothesis and there is plenty of possibilities depending on the interest of the candidate: i.e. more basic mechanistic research with in vivo models, testing drug candidates with antisense oligonucleotide or viral gene therapies, monitoring effects using experimental biomarkers, imaging or neuropathology.
How we will do it?
We use in all our work in transgenic approaches primary cultures of neurons and biochemistry, sophisticated imaging and molecular biology to address our questions. We are also strongly committed to collaborating with the industry to generate novel drugs for these devastating disorders.
Why is this important?
The pathophysiological mechanisms identified during the research phase can become targets for novel drug development in the field of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Who is a good fit for the project?
Experience in clinical or translational research in the field of neurodegeneration. Experience or keen interest in exploring novel wet-lab technologies and in exploring databases.
Medical background or training in the field of neurodegeneration will accelerate the integration of the MD into the project.
Other positions
IDIBAPS#4 – Mechanisms involved in strenuous exercise-induced atrial myocardial fibrosis
IC#4 – The role polyglutamylation in tauopathic neurodegeneration
IC#3 – Evaluation of the efficiency of immunotherapy by tracing ctDNA in metastatic NSCLC and triple-negative breast cancer patients
IC#2 – New targetable vulnerabilities for the treatment of chemoresistant breast and ovarian BRCA1/2-mutated tumors
IDIBAPS#3 – Mechanisms involved in vascular inflammation/remodeling in systemic vasculitis
IDIBAPS#2 – Mechanisms and therapies for Myeloma, amyloidosis, macroglobulinemia and other gammapathies
IDIBAPS#1 – Developing and investigating computing, machine learning and physiological modelling for understanding each individual heart towards personalised medicine
BRIC#6 – Tumour evolution, heterogeneity, and understanding of the mutational processes leading to aggressive disease
IC#1 – The role of RNASE1 in lung metastatic niche establishment by breast cancer cells
MDC#3 – Neuromuscular and Cardiovascular Cell Biology
MDC#2 – Molecular and cellular basis of behavior
MDC#1 – Host-microbiome factors in cardiovascular disease
NKI#1 – Epigenetic regulation in hormone-driven cancers and therapy resistance
VIB#8 – Mechanisms of inflammation and associated tissue damage in musculoskeletal diseases
VIB#7 – Endothelial immunosuppressive mystery genes for alternative immunotherapy: artificial intelligence-driven target discovery and validation
VIB#6 – Cellular metabolism and metabolic regulation in cancer metastasis
VIB#5 – Unraveling the molecular mechanisms of neuronal degeneration in motor neuron diseases
VIB#4 – Identification of universal biomarkers of metastatic melanoma in CTCs
VIB#3 – Basic mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegeneration
VIB#2 – Integrative genomics to underpinning somatic evolution, tumour heterogeneity, and treatment resistance
VIB#1 – Medical biotechnology to improve hepatocellular carcinoma diagnostics
BRIC#5 – The impact of severe maternal respiratory tract infections on fetal brain development and offspring behavior
