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Ludo Van Den Bosch

VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, BE
Biography

The research of Ludo Van Den Bosch focuses on the causes, mechanisms and treatment options for neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, his lab studies amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease), an incurable, lethal disease characterized by the selective death of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Survival after the detection of the first symptoms is on average 2 to 5 years. During the disease process, the patient becomes progressively paralyzed because the nerves disconnect from the muscles. A related problem occurs in patients suffering from Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), which is an inherited peripheral neuropathy also studied in the Ludo Van Den Bosch lab. Most recently, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from ALS and CMT patients were differentiated into different cell types and are used to get information on the early defects occurring during these diseases. Starting from these iPSCs, functional human neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) were obtained in microfluidic devices. The overall aim of all this research is to translate the obtained results into new treatment strategies. Therefore, Ludo Van Den Bosch established two years ago Augustine Therapeutics to bring new therapies for neurodegenerative disorders with axonal dysfunctions to the clinic. Currently, he is the head of the Scientific Advisory Board.

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