Research Vision
Welcome to the lab of regenerative biology at IRIBHM, ULB. We are interested in understanding the ability of organs to recover from injuries and stress. For example, we are able to heal a cut to our finger, even if it happens multiple times. Our blood regenerates after blood donation within a day or two. In ancient Greek mythology, Prometheus was sentenced to having half of his liver eaten by an eagle every day, but the liver would regenerate during the night – highlighting the almost infinite regenerative capacity of the liver. We are fascinated by such robustness in regenerative systems - which are a hallmark of a dynamic biological system.
To understand the robustness of biological systems, we explore response to organ injury and stressors, including starvation and ethanol. Our ongoing efforts are explained here.
For our experimental model, we use Zebrafish, which possess amazing regenerative abilities. Also, the small size and transparency of the young zebrafish gives us a window into the cellular dynamics occurring during organ damage or in response to stress. We combine imaging of alive animals with state-of-the-art transcriptomics, gene editing and transgenics to explore our themes, with the hope that the lessons we learn can be translated to improve outcomes of human injury.
We are situated in the Brussels, the capital of European Union. Feel free to contact us.