Characterisation of selective molecular effects of specific flavanols and their metabolites on gene expression and epigenetic dynamics in in vitro/in vivo models of vascular inflammation and myocyte (patho)physiology.
LEGEST research activities are aimed at studies on transcription factor activity, signal transduction pathways, chromatin modification and epigenetic regulation, receptor triggering by external factors, gene repression by hormones and non-steroidal drugs (NSAIDs), characterisation of natural compounds and their molecular effects on gene expression, etc. The lab has state of the art equipment for cell culture, QPCR, chromatin immunoprecipitation, gene manipulation, bisulphite sequencing, reporter gene assays, kinase assays, Western, immunofluorescence microscopy and has access to a transgenic animalarium and bioinformatic, proteomic and array facilities. The lab has been built around the present group leader and research director, Guy Haegeman, who was the first one to identify and describe the gene of the inflammatory cytokine IL-6. National and international collaborations include Janssen Research Foundation (Beerse), the former Roussel-Uclaff (Paris), Alexis Corporation (Lausen), the Pasteur Institute (Lille), University of Stellenbosch (South-Africa), Birzeit University (Palestine), University of Buenos Aires (Argentine), etc.
G. Haegeman is full professor at UGent and Research Director of the LEGEST lab, counting 5 Postdocs, 7 PhD students, 5 Master students, 5 technicians. He has been the Coordinator of a former EU Project (1993-1996) on "NFkB and Related Transcription Factors", and the Coordinator of 2 consequent national cooperation programmes (IAP) on “Inflammation and Cell Death” (1997-2001; 2002-2006). Moreover, Guy Haegeman has an international reputation for his research in ‘eukaryotic gene regulation’, and has been awarded the prestigious Francqui Chair.
W. Vanden Berghe, principal investigator, senior postdoc, is specialised in epigenetic regulation of inflammatory genes by phytochemicals and phytohormones in mammalian cells.
K. De Bosscher, mid-senior postdoc, is an expert on gene repression by steroid hormones and natural glucocorticoid receptor modulators.
W. Vanden Berghe, principal investigator, senior postdoc, is specialised in epigenetic regulation of inflammatory genes by phytochemicals and phytohormones in mammalian cells.
K. De Bosscher, mid-senior postdoc, is an expert on gene repression by steroid hormones and natural glucocorticoid receptor modulators.
UGent is member and/or (co)-organiser of following valorisation consortia: “Biomarked” provides treating physicians with more accurate and informative diagnostic tools (e.g. the Asklesios project is a longitudinal population study to identify biomarkers involved in the interplay between ageing, cardiovascular haemodynamics and inflammation in (preclinical) cardiovascular disease); "Food to know" is a multidisciplinary research cluster in ‘life sciences, food and health’ involved in development and industrial production of nutraceuticals and bioactive natural products with biomedical relevance; "Hit to lead” optimises the preclinical drug development of promising drug compound hits into early development candidates (EDCs) which can enter into clinical trial phase 1 and 2 at the Drug Research Unit (University Hospital Gent).