COPD is characterized by irreversible lung damage, leading to progressive loss of lung function. Novel regenerative treatments are urgently needed. Human lungs contain stem cells capable of tissue regeneration that reside in their local microenvironment (niche), composed of stromal cells and extracellular matrix. Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) are a key stromal element, supporting alveolar regeneration via paracrine…
On 8 September 2021 Kaj Blokland, a PhD student from our group succesfully defended his thesis, titled: “The ECM as a driver of fibroblast senescence and disrupted epithelial repair in IPF”. Congratulations Kaj!
Virinchi Kuchibhotla, a PHD student from our group successfully defended his thesis titled “The role of E-cadherin/beta-catenin signalling in the development of an asthmatic airway epithelial phenotype” on 28 June 2021. Due to the Corona situation Virinchi defended online from India Congratulations Virinchi !
The 2021 Young Investigator Award from the Netherlands Respiratory Society has been awarded to Aurore Gay, second-year PhD student working at the department of Pathology & Medical Biology and the GRIAC research Institute of the UMCG. Aurore Gay presented her research on infection of airway epithelial cells from asthma patients and healthy controls with the…
Marlies Ketelaar, a PhD student from the EXPIRE group succesfully defended her thesis titled “Functional and clinical translation of asthma and allergy associated genetic variants in IL33 and IL1RL1” on 14 June 2021. Congratulations Dr Marlies!
Our ZonMw proposal is granted for funding! Starting from coming autumn we will be in a consortium investigating the mitochondrial dysfunction in COPD. CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) is a prevalent, debilitating lung disease characterized by abnormal repair and irreversible damage in the lungs that currently cannot be treated and is often accompanied by…
Gwenda F. Vasse, a PhD candidate from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, the Department of Pharmacokinetics, Toxocology and at the Department of Pharmacology but currently working as a Post-Doc in the EXPIRE group succesfully defended her thesis titled “Macrophage-Matrix interactions orchestrating the fibrotic respons?” on 7 June 2021. Congratulations Gwenda! (and congratulations to her supervisors,…
Laura Hesse, a PhD candidate from EXPIRE group, has successfully defended her thesis on March 02, 2021. Well done Laura, congratulations !
Martijn Nawijn talked in the UMCG Medische Publieksacedemie how COVID-19 enters the human body. You can watch his presentation back here (sorry, dutch only)
Many patients who have had COVID-19 continue to have health complaints for a long period of time. The long-term effects of the damage caused by the virus and the body’s response to it is unclear. A team of researchers (including Irene Heijink and Daan Pouwels of the EXPIRE lab in the UMCG), private parties and…
