Professor Martin Guilliams, VIB - Ghent University
| Dates: | 20 June 2024 |
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| Times: | 12:00 - 13:00 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | School of Biological Sciences |
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| How much: | Free |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, Adults, Current University students |
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| Speaker: | Professor Martin Guilliams |
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“Developing in vivo CRISPR screens and automated spatial analysis pipelines to cell-cell interactions within the liver”
Recent liver cell atlas efforts revealed the modular architecture of the liver, with each module containing a dedicated macrophage and stromal cell. The primary hepatic module is composed of 4 cell types: hepatocytes, sinusoidal endothelial cells, stellate cells and Kupffer cells. We studied this 4-cell-circuit across seven species and found that throughout evolution these cells became genetically integrated to operate as one interconnected functional module. Stepping away from the conventional hepatocyte-centric view of liver regeneration, we hypothesize that the key to successful liver regeneration is to maintain the integrity of each liver module. Our aim is to track the multiplication of liver cells in space and time during liver regeneration. To do so we are developing high-throughput in vivo CRISPR-screens to manipulate the hepatic molecular circuits and identify pathways that can boost liver regeneration and maintain cellular functionality, with as ultimate goal to identify novel classes of therapeutic targets to prevent post-operative liver failure. To efficiently characterize the effect of genetic perturbations on liver regeneration we are also developing deep-learning based automated spatial analysis pipelines. This automated spatial analysis will allow to track the proliferation and gene expression of individual module cells in dozens of transgenic animals in parallel, circumventing time-consuming and biased manual analysis.
Speaker
Professor Martin Guilliams
Organisation: VIB - Ghent University
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
Michael Smith Lecture Theatre
Michael Smith Building
Manchester
