Research Group Biochemistry

Contact

Professor: Prof. dr. E. Meyer
evelyne.meyer@ugent.be

Lab responsible: Ing. K. Demeyere
kristel.demeyere@ugent.be

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Hoogbouw block A, 2nd floor
Salisburylaan 133
B-9820 Merelbeke

Research mission

The research mission of the Laboratory of Biochemistry is to contribute to:

1. Comparative oncology

  • Validated mouse intraductal injection model for triple negative breast cancer
  • Veterinary oncology (mammary tumors, lymphoma)

2. Veterinary phage-derived lysin therapy

  • Mammary gland infection (mastitis)
  • Canine otitis externa and pyoderma

In this context immunophenotyping and cytokine profiling are performed. Complementing this inflammatory profile, Chitinase 3-like 1 - originally patented by our group as a novel sepsis-induced biomarker for acute kidney injury - is evaluated as a novel innate immunity related protein biomarker for infection and inflammation.

Research topics

1. Comparative oncology

  • Chitinase 3-like 1 as novel immunotherapeutic target in triple-negative breast cancer (funded by FWO)
  • Mapping adaptation of triple negative breast cancer microenvironments to immunotherapy (funded by FWO)
  • Spontaneous B cell lymphoma in dogs: state-of-the-art immunophenotyping and proof-of- concept on immunotherapeutic targets to benefit canine patients (funded by BOF)
  • Role of lipocaline-2 in metastatic breast cancer (assistant mandate)

2. Veterinary phage-derived lysin therapy

  • Engineering of chimeric bacteriophage-derived endolysins and selection of staphylolytic and streptolytic candidates for the treatment of Gram-positive mammary gland infections in cows (funded by FWO)
  • Siderolysins as an innovative antimicrobial strategy to treat coliform mastitis (funded by FWO)
  • A pipeline for phage lysins targeting multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius in canine pyoderma and bacterial otitis externa (funded by IOF)

More info