Lies De Groef, Phd and Lieve Update

The Neural Circuit Development and Regeneration research group at the University of Leuven (Biology Department, KU Leuven, Belgium), led by Prof. L. Moons and Dr. Lies De Groef, aims to define the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration, -inflammation and -regeneration in the injured, diseased or aged central nervous system. Within their research, they focus on the inter-relatedness of neurobiology and ophthalmology research, and position the eye ‘as a window to the brain’. Besides glaucoma, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, they have a major interest in Wolfram syndrome. Via ocular and MRI imaging, electrophysiology and visual function testing in laboratory animals, they try to unravel the impact of Wolfram syndrome on the retina and visual system and understand the underlying disease mechanisms. Their studies in a Wolfram mouse model (Wfs1Δexon8) revealed progressive vision loss, neuronal dysfunction and neuroinflammation in the retina, and axonal conduction defects in the optic nerve. Based on these findings and their special interest in the role of glial cells (oligodendrocytes, micro- and astroglia) in the pathogenesis of Wolfram syndrome, they are further complementing this work with mechanistic studies in patient iPSC-derived cells (in collaboration with Prof. C. Verfaillie and G. Bultynck, KU Leuven). Furthermore, building on their expertise in visual system phenotyping, the Neural Circuit Development and Regeneration research group is also evaluating the effect of novel therapeutics to prevent blindness, including preclinical studies with GLP-1 analogues (in collaboration with M. Igoillo Esteve, Université Libre de Bruxelles) and gene editing approaches (in collaboration with C. Verfaillie).