Ilse Rooman

Prof Rooman is the coordinator of the TRanSLIT project. Her team will contribute to

Spatial detection of all pertinent SLIT and ROBO genes in combination with identification of individual cell types and the expression of immune checkpoints
Identification of pro-tumorigenic scenarios linked to immuno-positioning using 3D multicellular models and in vivo models
The use of the above models for testing of anti-cancer drugs (both repurposed and new compounds) in the preclinical pipeline

For this a wide range of technologies available in the Rooman lab will be applied e.g. multiplex RNAscope, Ultivue InSituPlex immunophenotyping, AI-powered image analysis.

Coordinator - Partner 1

Expertise

The Laboratory for Medical & Molecular Oncology (LMMO) is headed by Dr. Ilse Rooman and is situated at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy at the Vrije Universiteit Belgium (VUB). Her team pursues two main topics on pancreatic cancer: 1) cellular plasticity at origin of pancreatic cancer and in the context of molecular subtypes of the tumor, 2) studies of protumorigenic mechanisms with focus on axon guidance genes in pancreatic cancer. The TRanSLIT project bridges both topics and makes use of innovative experimental models as well as state-of-the-art spatial profiling techniques supported by the VSTA corefacility that is headed by Dr Rooman.

Contact info

Ilse Rooman
Professor, Laboratory for Medical and Molecular Oncology
Director Visual and Spatial Tissue Analysis (VSTA) corefacility
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Laarbeeklaan 103
1090 Brussels
Belgium

Steven Ballet

The Ballet lab (ORGC) has a long-standing tradition in the synthesis and application of peptides and is well-established in the fields of bioorganic and medicinal chemistry. Current projects running within the group aim mainly at structure-activity and structure-property relationships of medicinal peptides, peptidomimetics and decorated privileged scaffolds (covering a range of therapeutic indications), as well as peptide-based biomaterials.

Our role in the TRANSCAN-TRanSLIT project – the de novo design of innovative compounds – builds on the major areas of expertise present with the Ballet lab. Making use of our molecular modelling capabilities, we will design and synthesize a cohort of primary lead compounds which will then be optimized through the application of the wide range of medicinal chemistry techniques that are routinely applied in the Ballet lab.