3. Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Karen Vanhoorelbeke group:
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Xavier Bossuyt:
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Nick Geukens:
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Maaike Cockx
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Lisa Vermeersch
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PharmaAbs:
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Expertise, Role and Activity
Karen Vanhoorelbeke
Prof Karen Vanhoorelbeke, co-founder of PharmAbs (the KU Leuven Antibody Center, that focuses on characterization, development and production of antibody-based molecules) is expert in identifying, profiling and cloning auto-antibodies in/from (auto-immune) patients, crucial for the detailed characterization of the atherosclerotic plaque-specific antibody response in CVD patients in WP2 in collaboration with ULEI. Prof Vanhoorelbeke recently started to apply universal chimeric antigen receptor (UniCAR) and reverse CAR (RevCAR) T-cell therapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases in collaboration with Prof Bachmann, director at the HZDR, the inventor of this unique technology. This novel technological solution will form the core of WP4 aimed at developing a novel, effective therapy for the treatment of atherosclerosis (associated CVD).
Xavier Bossuyt
Prof Bossuyt, co-founder of PharmAbs, is also expert in identifying, profiling and cloning auto-antibodies in/from (auto-immune) patients and has access to state-of-the-art mass spectrometry facilities crucial for novel autoantigen discovery.
Nick Geukens
Dr. Nick Geukens is Manager at PharmAbs.
Maaike Cockx
Dr. Maaike Cockx is a Project Manager at PharmAbs and has expertise in the development and validation of diagnostic tests in the field of (auto)immunity. Her work mainly focuses on test development for (auto)antibody detection with Luminex platforms and immunoprecipitation in combination with mass spectrometry (IP-MS). Maaike will focus on identifying and validating CVD-specific autoantigens by testing patient-derived atherosclerotic plaques with the IP-MS platform available at the KUL/PharmAbs laboratory.
Lisa Vermeersch
Lisa’s primary focus is to develop a novel and innovative UniCAR T cell therapy for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, using immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) as a model system. She will apply her expertise in WP4, which aims to develop an effective new therapy for atherosclerosis (associated CVD)
All the Consortium
