Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology
Our unit has a double affiliation:
The CMIM interactome
Research in the unit of Cellular and Molecular Immunology (CMIM) is centered around a number of mutually interacting themes:
The combination of scientific expertise and know-how within the CMIM unit has in recent years led to pioneering research on therapeutic and diagnostic applications of Nbs in cancer and infectious diseases . This type of
"Nanobodies for health" research - in which Nbs are developed and used as tools for human and animal health applications - is a central link among parts of the 3 major research themes in the immunology group and is currently being extended to applications of nanobodies for in vivo targeting of myeloid cells during cancer and inflammatory disorders (see for example the "Inflammatrack" project).
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- Salmon et al., Adenylate cyclases of Trypanosoma brucei inhibit the innate immune response of the host., Science, 337, 463-466, 2012;
- Movahedi et al., Different tumor microenvironments contain functionally distinct subsets of macrophages derived from Ly6C(high) monocytes, Cancer Res., 70: 5728-5739, 2010;
- Bosschaerts et al., Alternatively activated myeloid cells limit pathogenicity associated with African trypanosomiasis through the IL-10 inducible gene selenoprotein P, J Immunol, 180: 6168-6175, 2008;
- Hassanzadeh Ghassabeh et al.,Identification of a common gene signature for type II cytokine-associated myeloid cells elicited in vivo in different pathologic conditions, Blood, 108: 575-583, 2006.
- Bockstal et al., T. brucei infection reduces B lymphopoiesis in bone marrow and truncates compensatory splenic lymphopoiesis through transitional B-cell apoptosis, PLoS Pathog., 7(6):e1002089, 2011;
- Magez et al., Current status of vaccination against African trypanosomiasis, Parasitology, 137: 2017-2027, 2010;
- Magez et al., The role of B-cells and IgM antibodies in parasitemia, anemia, and VSG switching in Trypanosoma brucei-infected mice, PLoS Pathog., 4(8): e1000122, 2008;
- Radwanska et al., Trypanosomiasis-induced B cell apoptosis results in loss of protective anti-parasite antibody responses and abolishment of vaccine-induced memory responses, PLoS Pathog., 4(5): e1000078, 2008.
- Flajnik M, Deschacht N, Muyldermans S, A case of convergence: why did a simple alternative to canonical antibodies arise in sharks and camels? PLoS Biology, 9 (8): e1001120, 2011;
- Hmila I., Saerens D., Ben-Abderrazek R., Vincke C., Abidi N., Benlasfar Z., Dabbek H., El Ayeb M., Bouhaouala-Zahar B., Muyldermans S, A bispecific nanobody to provide full protection against lethal scorpion envenoming, FASEB J., 24: 3479-3489, 2010;
- Rothbauer U, Zolghadr K, Muyldermans S, Schepers A, Cardoso M, Leonhardt H, A versatile nanotrap for biochemical and functional studies with fluorescent fusion proteins, Mol. Cell. Proteomics, 7: 282-9, 2008;
- De Genst E, Silence K, Decanniere K, Conrath K, Loris R, Kinne J, Muyldermans S, Wyns L, Molecular basis for the preferential cleft recognition by dromedary heavy-chain antibodies, Proc.Natl.Acad.Sci., 103: 4586-4591, 2006.
- Movahedi et al., Nanobody-based targeting of the macrophage mannose receptor for effective in vivo imaging of tumor-associated macrophages., Cancer Res., 72: 4165-4177, 2012;
- Broisat et al., Nanobodies targeting mouse/human VCAM1 for the nuclear imaging of atherosclerotic lesions, Circ. Res., 110: 927-937 2012;
- Stijlemans et al., High affinity nanobodies against the Trypanosome brucei VSG are potent trypanolytic agents that block endocytosis, PLoS Pathog., 7:e1002072, 2011;
- Baral et al., Experimental therapy of African trypanosomiasis with a nanobody-conjugated human trypanolytic factor, Nat. Med., 12: 580-584, 2006;
- Cortez-Retamozo et al., Efficient cancer therapy with a nanobody-based conjugate, Cancer Res., 64: 2853-2857, 2004.