Meet the Team
Principal investigator
Jeroen BOGIE
Jeroen Bogie was born in 1983 and grew up in Geleen, the Netherlands. He received his MSc degree in Biomedical Sciences from Amsterdam university (2008) and his PhD in neuro-immunology from Hasselt University (2009-2013). During his PhD, he defined the physiology of macrophages in multiple sclerosis. As a FWO postdoctoral fellow at Rotterdam, Lille, Chulalongkorn, and Hasselt University, Jeroen studied the impact of lipid metabolism on the functional properties of immune and glial cells in neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease (2014-2021). In 2021, Jeroen accepted an assistant professor position at Hasselt University. Here, he currently heads the Medical Biochemistry and Immunology Lab and aims to further investigate the metabolic blueprint of neurodegenerative and rare autoinflammatory disorders.
PhD student
Jeroen GUNS
Jeroen Guns was born in 1997 and grew up in Massenhoven, Antwerp, Belgium. He received his MSc degree in Biomedical Sciences from Hasselt University in 2022. During his MSc internships, Jeroen defined the impact of extracellular vesicles on the pathology of central and peripheral nervous system disorders under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Joy Irobi and Prof. Dr. Jeroen Bogie. Notably, his outstanding work during this time earned him a poster prize at the MOSA conference. In 2022, Jeroen embarked on an exciting new chapter as a joint BOF PhD at Hasselt and Maastricht University. In his current research, he delves into the intriguing realm of protein acetylation and its effects on macrophage and cardiomyocyte function in demyelinating disorders and heart failure, respectively (Promoters: Prof. Dr. Jeroen Bogie and Dr. Joost Luiken; co-promoters Dr. Miranda Nabben and Prof. Dr. Jerome Hendriks).
PhD student
Flore WOUTERS
Flore Wouters was born in 1996 and completed her Master's degree in Biomedical Sciences at The Catholic University of Leuven in 2019. After a year of teaching at a high school, she joined the university college AP in Antwerp as a Lecturer in Microbiology and Biochemistry. While working as a lecturer, Flore obtained an Educational Master of Science and Technology degree (2021). In 2022, Flore started working as an assistant at the University of Hasselt, where she combines student supervision with her PhD research. Her research focuses on investigating the role of lipids in autoinflammatory disorders, such as Familial Mediterranean fever, under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Jeroen Bogie and Prof. Dr. Jeroen Van der Hilst (Jessa Hospital, Hasselt).Flore is dedicated to shedding light on the mechanisms underlying these complex disorders and paving the way for innovative therapeutic interventions.
Postdoctoral researcher
Sam VANHERLE
Sam Vanherle was born in 1995 and grew up in Bilzen, Belgium. He received his BSc (2016) and MSc degree (2018) in Biomedical Sciences at Hasselt University. Recently, Sam obtained his PhD in Biomedical Sciences at Hasselt University, which he performed in the Medical Biochemistry and Immunology Lab under supervision of Jeroen Bogie. During his PhD, Sam studied the uptake and clearance of myelin-derived lipids by macrophages as well as the impact of extracellular vesicles released by these cells on remyelination. Related to the latter, Sam has received a prize for best poster presentation at the MS Research days 2022 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. After obtaining his PhD, Sam accepted a postdoc position in the Medical Biochemistry and Immunology Lab. Here, he currently aims to further define the role of glycerolipid synthesis and uptake in myelin-forming cells in the context of demyelinating disorders.
PhD student
Koen KUIPERS
Koen Kuipers was born in 1999 and raised in Eksel, Belgium. He obtained his BSc (Cum Laude) and MSc degree (Summa Cum Laude) in Biomedical Sciences at Hasselt University (2017-2022). During his Masters, he gained an interest into research on Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, an inherited peripheral neuropathy. In the group of Prof. Dr. Esther Wolfs and Prof. Dr. Ivo Lambrichts, he studied CMT using human iPSC stem cell models and focused on autophagy and membrane receptors and lipids. Koen has received a prize for the second best poster presentation at the Mosa Conference and SCHMiDH symposium. Additionally, for his extracurricular activities, he received a prize for most meritorious student of Biomedical Sciences. Currently, in a collaboration between the lab of Prof. Dr. Jeroen Bogie and Prof. Dr. Esther Wolfs, he aims to further elucidate glycerolipid metabolism disturbances in CMT1A.
PhD student
Brecht MOONEN
Brecht Moonen, born in 2000 and raised in Grote-Brogel, Limburg, Belgium, achieved distinction in obtaining his master's degree in Biomedical Sciences from Hasselt University. Throughout his academic journey, Brecht has demonstrated a keen interest in the intersection of lipid metabolism in immunity and multiple sclerosis, which he passionately pursued from the onset of his master's program. To deepen his understanding, he embarked on a senior internship in Lund, Sweden.
In November 2023, Brecht initiated a new phase in his academic and research pursuits. His focus is on elucidating the role of S-palmitoylation as a functional regulator of autoimmunity in Multiple Sclerosis. Guided by the expertise of Jeroen Bogie as the Promotor and Bieke Broux and Sam vanherle as co-promoter, Brecht is committed to contributing valuable insights to the understanding of autoimmune processes in MS.
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PhD student
Kirsten Poelmans
Kirsten Poelmans was born in 2001 and grew up in Kinrooi, Belgium. She completed her BSc and MSc degrees in Biomedical Sciences at Hasselt University, graduating with high distinction (2019 - 2024). Kirsten performed her MSc internship at the lab of Prof. dr. Bogie, where she focused on the role of glycerolipid synthesis in myelin-forming cells in the context of demyelinating disorders. Currently, Kirsten is delving further into the field of lipid biology, with her research centered on post-transcriptional modifications, specifically microRNAs, and their impact on macrophage lipid metabolism in demyelinating disorders. Her research is conducted under the supervision of her promotor Prof. dr. Jeroen Bogie and co-promotors Dr. Melanie Loix and Prof. dr. Ruth Stassart from Leipzig University.
Postdoctoral researcher
Melanie LOIX
Melanie Loix was born in 1996 and grew up in Zonhoven, Belgium. She obtained her BSc and MSc degree in Biomedical Sciences at Hasselt University (2014-2019). During her first Master’s internship, Melanie developed a keen interest in macrophage lipid metabolism in multiple sclerosis (MS). This passion led her to perform a senior internship in the medical biochemistry lab of Prof. Noam Zelcer at Amsterdam UMC. In 2019, Melanie started her PhD under the supervision of Prof. Jerome Hendriks, where she further studied the role of disturbed lipid metabolism on the immunopathogenesis of multiple sclerosis, specifically focusing on lipid droplets, ubiquitination, and autophagy. In 2024, Melanie embarked a postdoctoral position in the Medical Biochemistry and Immunology Lab. Here, she is dedicated to further elucidate the role of post-translational modifications in macrophage lipid metabolism in the context of MS.
Former group members
Location
Hasselt University
Biomedical Research Institute
Department of Immunology and Infection
Agoralaan Building C
3590 Diepenbeek
Belgium