Peripheral and central venous catheters are among the most implanted blood-contacting medical devices for short and long-term clinical applications, respectively. Despite implementations of in-hospital measures, catheters are often subject to infection and thrombotic complications, which result in longer hospitalization stay, higher health care costs, or even death. The CMD-COAT project aims at providing an innovative and rapid solution to this major medical, economical and societal need. The solution comes from our patented technology, referred to as Coatigel, that consists of grafting multilayer cross-linked nanogels with combined antifouling, antimicrobial and antithrombotic properties onto catheter surface. The combination of these properties can guarantee longer catheter clinical performance than any currently available products. Our project includes all the validation steps that will enable us to bring Coatigel on the catheter market. We will assess Coatigel compliance with ISO standards and compile the technical file for CE mark application in accordance with EU directives for class III medical devices. The whole process will be realized under the guidance of a company specialized in quality management to ensure optimal reliability and efficacy. The project also involves setting up partnerships with catheter industries to adjust our technology to manufacturing constraints. Via services of marketing experts, we will take on a competitive market analysis, including geographic segmentation, to position Coatigel in the catheter market. This project will result in the creation of a coating spin-off company with the exclusive right of Coatigel commercial exploitation. The presence of several big catheter manufacturers in Belgium is a main asset for our business success. All this will be achieved thanks to the help of local support in intellectual property management, consolidating industrial partnerships, and in contacts with potential investors.

The mechanisms underlying lung homeostasis are of fundamental biological importance and have critical implications for the prevention of immune-mediated diseases such as asthma. We have demonstrated that lung Interstitial Macrophages (IM) exhibit a tolerogenic profile and are able to prevent and limit the development of aberrant immune responses against allergens, thus underscoring their role as crucial regulators of lung homeostasis. In addition, we have shown that IM could expand from monocyte precursors upon host exposure to bacterial unmethylated CpG-DNA, resulting in robust protection against allergic asthma. To date, however, IM have only been characterized as a bulk population in functional studies, and little is known about the tissue-instructive signals, specific transcription factors and differentiation programs which contribute to determining their identity (ID) and function, as proposed by the macrophage niche model. We have developed an innovative transgenic tool to selectively target IM which, in combination with high dimensional single cell technologies, will allow us to (1) define the precise ID of IM, i.e. their spatial organization, heterogeneity, molecular signature and the specific TF governing their differentiation and function; (2) investigate how IM ID is imprinted by the local niche to sustain lung homeostasis. Specifically, we aim to identify the epithelial cell-derived chemo-attractive signals controlling IM precursor recruitment and to elucidate the contribution of the lung cholinergic nervous system to IM ID and lung homeostasis. This research will increase our understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying the fine-tuning of tolerogenic IM and will thus provide robust foundations for novel IM-targeted approaches promoting health and preventing airway diseases in which IM (dys)functions have been implicated.

African literatures attest not only to the diversity of mobilities typical of the global era, but also to the fact that Europe continues to occupy a special place in the African literary imaginary. This study analyses the ways in which African Franco- and Anglophone diasporic literatures address the idea(l) of a cosmopolitan world citizenry in varied Afro-European contexts of mobility. In order to do so, the study critically revisits the concept of cosmopolitanism and, by drawing on theory and readings of African fiction, develops a new analytical pattern reflecting the privileged, practical and critical dimensions of the concept. The study’s interdisciplinary theoretical framework consists of postcolonial theory, cosmopolitanism, mobility studies and diaspora studies, and it applies a method of contextual close-reading which is motivated by a transnational impulse. By focusing on Afro-European mobilities, the study contributes to the topical scholarly endeavour of analysing the intertwinement of the two continents in a way that exceeds national boundaries. Studying fictional African cosmopolitanisms enhances our understanding of Europe in a changing global setting in terms of cultural encounters viewed from an Afro-European perspective, providing a literary articulation of the social exclusion that people with African origins often face in their attempt to claim cosmopolitan world citizenry in Europe. Fictive African mobile narratives are informed by such intersecting markers of difference as class, gender, nationality, and race. The study draws attention to how the universalising tendencies of traditional cosmopolitanisms and the elitism of some recently formulated Afropolitanisms are challenged in this setting. By developing and applying an analytical pattern of cosmopolitanisms, the study responds to the urgent call to revisit the slippery concept of cosmopolitanism by exploring its limits and potentials within the African literary context.

All of us know of individuals who remain cognitively sharp at an advanced age. Identifying novel factors which associate with inter-individual variability in -and can be considered protective for- cognitive decline is a promising area in ageing research. Considering its strong implication in neuroprotective function, COGNAP predicts that variability in circadian rhythmicity explains a significant part of the age-related changes in human cognition. Circadian rhythms -one of the most fundamental processes of living organisms- are present throughout the nervous system and act on cognitive brain function. Circadian rhythms shape the temporal organization of sleep and wakefulness to achieve human diurnality, characterized by a consolidated bout of sleep during night-time and a continuous period of wakefulness during the day. Of prime importance is that the temporal organization of sleep and wakefulness evolves throughout the adult lifespan, leading to higher sleep-wake fragmentation with ageing. The increasing occurrence of daytime napping is the most visible manifestation of this fragmentation. Contrary to the common belief, napping stands as a health risk factor in seniors in epidemiological data. I posit that chronic napping in older people primarily reflects circadian disruption. Based on my preliminary findings, I predict that this disruption will lead to lower cognitive fitness. I further hypothesise that a re-stabilization of circadian sleep-wake organization through a nap prevention intervention will reduce age-related cognitive decline. Characterizing the link between cognitive ageing and the temporal distribution of sleep and wakefulness will not only bring ground-breaking advances at the scientific level, but is also timely in the ageing society. Cognitive decline, as well as inadequately timed sleep, represent dominant determinants of the health span of our fast ageing population and easy implementable intervention programs are urgently needed.