Koen Vercauteren
A5039353248- Poxvirus research and outbreaks
- Herpesvirus Infections and Treatments
- Bacillus and Francisella bacterial research
- Hepatitis C virus research
- Hepatitis B Virus Studies
- Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research
- Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment
- Virus-based gene therapy research
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Research
- Rabies epidemiology and control
- Medical Imaging Techniques and Applications
- Brain Metastases and Treatment
- vaccines and immunoinformatics approaches
- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
- Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry and Applications
- Cytokine Signaling Pathways and Interactions
- Immunotherapy and Immune Responses
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- HIV Research and Treatment
- COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- Liver physiology and pathology
- interferon and immune responses
- Hepatitis Viruses Studies and Epidemiology
- Virology and Viral Diseases
- Viral Infectious Diseases and Gene Expression in Insects
Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde
2020-2025
Research Institute for Tropical Medicine
2024
Laboratoire National de Référence
2023
University of Antwerp
2022
Rockefeller University
2015-2021
Ghent University
2012-2021
Ghent University Hospital
2011-2020
The magnitude of the 2022 multi-country monkeypox virus (MPXV) outbreak has surpassed any preceding outbreak. It is unclear whether asymptomatic or otherwise undiagnosed infections are fuelling this epidemic. In study, we aimed to assess occurred among men attending a Belgian sexual health clinic in May 2022. We retrospectively screened 224 samples collected for gonorrhea and chlamydia testing using an MPXV PCR assay identified MPXV-DNA-positive from four men. At time sampling, one man had...
Outbreaks of monkeypox (mpox) have historically resulted from zoonotic spillover clade I virus (MPXV) in Central Africa and II MPXV West Africa. In 2022, subclade IIb caused a global epidemic linked to transmission through sexual contact. Here we describe the epidemiological genomic features an mpox outbreak mining region eastern Democratic Republic Congo, by MPXV. Surveillance data collected between September 2023 January 2024 identified 241 suspected cases. Genomic analysis demonstrates...
ABSTRACT Background Monkeypox virus (MPXV) attracted global attention in 2022 during a widespread outbreak linked primarily to sexual contact. Clade I MPXV is prevalent Central Africa and characterized by severe disease high mortality, while II confined West associated with milder illness. A IIb emerged Nigeria 2017, protracted human-to-human transmission forerunner of the B.1 lineage 2022. In October 2023, large mpox Kamituga mining region Democratic Republic Congo (DRC), which we conducted...
Recent reports raise concerns on the changing epidemiology of mpox in Democratic Republic Congo (DRC). High-quality genomes were generated for 337 patients from 14/26 provinces to document whether increase number cases is due zoonotic spillover events or viral evolution, with enrichment APOBEC3 mutations linked human adaptation. Our study highlights two patterns transmission contributing source cases. All new sequences eastern South Kivu province (n = 17; 4.8%) corresponded recently...
Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients undergoing liver transplantation universally experience rapid reinfection of their new graft. Current treatment protocols do not prevent graft and, in addition, an accelerated disease progression is observed. In the present study, we have evaluated a novel strategy to HCV infection using lectin, griffithsin (GRFT) that specifically binds N-linked high-mannose oligosaccharides are on viral envelope. The antiviral effect GRFT was vitro pseudoparticle...
Adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors are currently being tested in multiple clinical trials for liver-directed gene transfer to treat the bleeding disorders hemophilia A and B metabolic disorders. The optimal capsid transduction of human hepatocytes has been under active investigation, but results across various models inconsistent. We vivo "humanized" mice. Methods quantitate percent AAV transduced murine chimeric livers were optimized using flow cytometry confocal microscopy with image...
Abstract Background Monkeypox is transmitted by close contact with symptomatic cases, and those infected are assumed to be uniformly symptomatic. Evidence of subclinical monkeypox infection limited a few immunological studies which found evidence immunity against orthopoxviruses in asymptomatic individuals who were exposed cases. We aimed assess whether infections occurred among underwent sexually (STI) screening large Belgian STI clinic around the start 2022 epidemic Belgium. Methods...
The risk of infection after exposure to clade IIb mpox virus (MPXV) is unknown, and potential presymptomatic shedding MPXV remains be demonstrated. High-risk contacts patients were followed-up in a prospective longitudinal cohort study. Individuals reporting sexual contact, >15 min skin-to-skin or living the same household with an patient recruited health clinic Antwerp, Belgium. Participants kept symptom diary, performed daily self-sampling (anorectal, genital, saliva), presented for weekly...
Between January and August 2024, mpox cases have been reported in nearly all provinces of the Democratic Republic Congo (DRC). Monkeypox virus genome sequences were obtained from 11 cases’ samples, collected July–August 2024 several health zones Kinshasa. Characterisation showed subclades Ia Ib co-circulating Limete zone, while phylogenetic analyses suggested multiple introductions two This illustrates growing complexity Clade I outbreaks DRC.
ABSTRACT Background Recent reports raise concerns on the changing epidemiology of mpox in Democratic Republic Congo (DRC), with increasing case counts, sexual contact-mediated clusters, and sustained human-to-human transmission driven by a novel monkeypox virus (MPXV) subclade, clade Ib. However, only limited number I MPXV genomes have been characterized so far, from regions. Methods We conducted whole genome sequencing 603 mpox-positive samples that were collected 581 patients between...
Tyrosine phosphorylation is a hallmark for activation of STAT proteins, but their transcriptional activity also depends on other secondary modifications. Type I IFNs can activate both the ISGF3 (STAT1:STAT2:IRF9) complex and STAT3, with cell-specific, selective triggering only program. Following genome-wide RNAi screen, we identified SIN3 transcription regulator homolog A (Sin3a) as an important mediator this STAT3-targeted repression. Sin3a directly interacts STAT3 promotes its...
Efforts to develop an effective vaccine against hepatitis C virus (HCV) have been hindered by the propensity of evade host immune responses. HCV particles in serum and cell culture associate with lipoproteins, which contribute viral entry. Lipoprotein association has also proposed mediate evasion humoral response, though mechanisms are poorly defined.We used small interfering RNAs reduce levels apolipoprotein E (apoE) culture-derived HCV-producing Huh7.5-derived hepatoma cells confirmed its...
To explore mechanisms of hepatitis C viral (HCV) replication we screened a compound library including licensed drugs. Flunarizine, diphenylmethylpiperazine used to treat migraine, inhibited HCV cell entry in vitro and vivo genotype‐dependent fashion. Analysis mosaic viruses between susceptible resistant strains revealed that E1 E2 glycoproteins confer susceptibility flunarizine. Time addition experiments single particle tracking demonstrated flunarizine specifically prevents membrane fusion....
Primary human hepatocytes (PHHs) are an essential tool for modeling drug metabolism and liver disease. However, variable plating efficiencies, short lifespan in culture, resistance to genetic manipulation have limited their use. Here, we show that the pyrrolizidine alkaloid retrorsine improves PHH repopulation of chimeric mice on average 10-fold rescues ability even poorly plateable donor provide cells subsequent ex vivo cultures. These mouse-passaged (mp) cultures overcome marked...
Mpox (formerly monkeypox) is a viral disease caused by the mpox virus (MPXV), endemic in Central and West Africa currently causing global outbreak of international concern. Much remains unknown about sample types most suited for laboratory diagnosis. While it established that high loads can be found active skin lesions (currently recommended confirmation specimen type), WHO testing guidelines encourage use oropharyngeal swabs as an additional type diagnosis suggest investigating value other...
ABSTRACT The ongoing national mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has resulted more >30,000 suspected cases country from January 2023 to August 2024. While these historic case totals have been driven by primarily zoonosis, emergence Clade Ib monkeypox virus (MPXV), which is connected sustained human-to-human transmission, associated with increasing public health impacts eastern DRC. First identified South Kivu province, MPXV multiple non-endemic East African countries for...
Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-induced endstage liver disease is currently a major indication for transplantation. After transplantation the donor inevitably becomes infected with circulating virus. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against HCV coreceptor scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) inhibit infection of different genotypes, both in cell culture and humanized mice. Anti-SR-BI mAb therapy successful even when initiated several days after exposure, supporting its potential applicability to...
Abstract To repurpose therapeutics for fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC), we developed and validated patient-derived xenografts (PDX) from surgical resections. Most agents used clinically inhibitors of oncogenes overexpressed in FLC showed little efficacy on PDX. A high-throughput functional drug screen found primary metastatic were vulnerable to available TOPO1 HDAC napabucasin. Napabucasin's was mediated through reactive oxygen species inhibition translation initiation, specific eIF4A...