Nephrology — Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics — Ghent University

Research activities

The research interests of the department of nephrology range from laboratory research to patient-oriented research with a translational focus on nephrology. Our ultimate goal is to improve the quality of life and life expectancy of patients suffering from kidney disease. Current research interests include antibiotic dosing in dialysis patients, anticoagulation in dialysis patients, big data, uremic toxins and gut microbiome, and the applications of vibration spectroscopy in renal disease. To achieve our objectives, we focus on national and international partnerships and acquiring grant applications.

Research projects

• Adult/pediatric nephrology: The different co-morbidities in children with chronic kidney disease (CNS) are studied and associated with uremic toxins and the microbiome to optimize the diagnosis and treatment of CNS in children.
• The PHOENIX kidney study. A home-based exercise and exercise intervention after kidney transplantation: impact of exercise intensity.
• Antibiotic dosage in dialysis patients: Based on clinical data in dialysis patients, pharmacokinetic models are being developed for a range of antibiotics. The validated models are further used to optimize and personalize antibiotic dosing in this patient group.
• Anticoagulation in dialysis patients. Clotting is quantified in hemodialysers by means of a micro CT scan of the dialysers after dialysis. This method makes it possible to compare the coagulation of different anticoagulant techniques and different dialysers and dialysis techniques.
• Artificial Intelligence: There is widespread optimism and enthusiasm that the adoption of Big Data and related technologies will significantly change and improve the delivery of medical care and decision-making in healthcare. In the project presented here, we will explore how the use of routinely collected data can really benefit health care decision-making. To achieve this goal, we will examine the technical, legal and ethical issues associated with data collection and aggregation, the quality of the data, and assess how and to what extent this data can be turned into evidence.
• Biobank Nier Gent: Prevention of end-stage renal disease and renal disease-related morbidities and mortality is an important objective in chronic kidney disease (CNS) research. It is important to identify biomarkers or factors involved in the pathophysiology of CNS. To achieve this, samples of different types (blood, buffy coat, urine, dialysate, faeces, nails) from patients in different stages of CNS are stored in the registered biobank: “Biobank Nier Gent”.
• Impact of semantic opacity in defining acute renal injury in prediction modelling: a big data analysis.
• The disease-modifying effect of the microbiome in a spontaneous mouse model for systemic lupus erythematosus.
• Uremic toxins and the gut microbiome: In CNS, many uremic toxins originate in the colon and are bound to circulatory proteins, making their removal by dialysis therapy difficult. Addressing the primary origin of these toxins is thus crucial for early stage prevention strategies. Understanding altered metabolic networks associated with colon-derived uremic toxin production in CNS will facilitate the use of novel strategies for ameliorating morbidity and reducing mortality, including environmental modulators such as diet and gut microbiome.
• Vibrating spectroscopy: Biospectroscopy allows the identification of key biochemical changes in tissue associated with a particular pathological condition, facilitating biomarker extraction and automatic detection of key lesions. Infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy are two important analytical techniques, requiring little cost, no labels, and minimal sample preparation. In this research topic, the potential identification and quantification of biochemical components in urine and blood by vibrational spectroscopy is investigated in patients with renal disease.

Research Personnel

• Prof. dr. Dr Annemie Dhondt: acute kidney disease, dialysis
• Prof. dr. dr. Sunny Eloot: adult/pediatric nephrology, anticoagulation, antibiotic dosing in dialysis patients, uremic toxins and gut microbiome
• Prof. dr. dr. Griet Glorieux: adult/child nephrology, uremic toxins and gut microbiome, biobanking
• Prof. dr. Dr. Evi Nagler: kidney transplant
• Prof. dr. dr. Marijn Speeckaert: deglycation, diabetic nephropathy, vibrational spectroscopy
• Prof. dr. dr. Wim Van Biesen: adult/child nephrology, anticoagulation, antibiotic dosing in dialysis patients, uremic toxins and gut microbiome, chronic kidney disease, artificial intelligence, biobanking
• Prof. dr. Dr. Arjan van der Tol: kidney transplant, dialysis
• Prof. dr. Dr. Steven Van Laecke: kidney transplant
• Prof. dr. dr. Jill Vanmassenhove: acute kidney diseases, rare kidney diseases, big data analysis
• Prof. dr. dr. Francis Verbeke: chronic kidney disease, artificial intelligence, biobanking