1 International Doctoral School for Biomedical Sciences Leuven PhD training activities: 1 ) Research 2 ) Doctoral Training - truncus communis - thematic programme specific training Doctoral School Thematic Programme Emerging Concepts in Cardiovascular Medicine Short description In this programme, novel advances in the domain of cardiovascular research and medicine will be highlighted. The programme covers from molecular to in vivo to clinical research in the cardiac and vascular biology field, with a strong translational perspective (bench-to-bedside). Appropriate attention is given to the integration of state-of-the-art gene/genome and downstream transcriptome or proteome technologies with experimental in vitro and in vivo models, analyses of patient material, sophisticated functional testing and imaging technologies, that are applied to unravel the molecular and cellular pathways and identify candidate genes involved in the pathophysiological processes discussed. Coordinators Mieke Dewerchin - Vesalius Research Center, Departement Moleculaire en Cellulaire Geneeskunde Jens-Uwe Voigt - Afdeling Klinische Cardiologie, Departement Hart- en vaatziekten Piet Claus - Afdeling Beeldvorming en Cardiovasculaire Dynamica, Departement Hart- en vaatziekten Participating faculty Departement Cardiovasculaire Wetenschappen: - Centrum voor Moleculaire en Vasculaire Biologie: Bart De Geest, Kathleen Freson, Marc Hoylaerts, Marc Jacquemin, Roger Lijnen, Aernout Luttun, Kathelijne Peerlinck, Jean-Marie Saint-Remy, Chris Van Geet - Afdeling Klinische Cardiologie: Hein Heidbuchel, Stefan Janssens, Peter Sinnaeve, Peter Verhamme, Jens-Uwe Voigt, Rik Willems - Afdeling Experimentele Cardiologie: Karin Sipido - Afdeling Beeldvorming en Cardiovasculaire Dynamica: Piet Claus, Jan D Hooge, Frank Rademakers - Afdeling Artherosclerose en Metabolisme: Paul Holvoet - Afdeling Experimentele Cardiale Heelkunde: Paul Herijgers, Kanigula Mubagwa - Afdeling Cardiovasculaire Ontwikkelingsfysiologie: Marc Gewillig - Afdeling Hypertensie en Cardiovasculaire revalidatie: Tatyana Kouznetsova, Jan Staessen Departement Oncologie: - Vesalius Research Center: Mieke Dewerchin, Peter Fraisl, Diether Lambrechts, Max Mazzone Departement Farmaceutische en Farmacologische Wetenschappen: - Laboratorium voor Farmaceutische Biologie: Paul Declerck Departement Klinische en Experimentele Geneeskunde: - Afdeling Klinische en Experimentele Endocrinologie: Geert Carmeliet Departement Beeldvorming en Pathologie: - Afdeling Nucleaire Geneeskunde en Moleculaire Beeldvorming: Olivier Gheysen - Afdeling Theragnostisch Laboratorium: Yicheng Ni Departement Menselijke Erfelijkheid: - Afdeling Signaaltransductie in Ontwikkelingsbiologie: An Zwijsen
2 Programme Specific Training activities Activities Hours per year Total Advanced level courses (10 ) 12.5-15 hrs each year in year 1-3 40 Journal club 10 40 PhD or post-doc seminars 5 20 Guest lectures 15 60 40 160 Topics: Vessel wall biology and disease: cellular and molecular pathways underlying atherosclerosis, cholesterol, lipoproteins and atherosclerosis, therapeutic approaches Fibrinolysis, thrombolysis and haemostasis: extracellular proteases, platelet signal transduction, haemostatic regulation, thrombosis, bleeding disorders Cardiac development and congenital malformations Cardiac biology: ischemic injury, cardioprotection and repair; cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure - in vivo and in vitro models Cardiac remodeling: linking in vivo structural and functional changes to cellular and molecular signaling Cardiac electrophysiology and ion channels: from experimental to clinical arrhythmia research Phenotyping of cardiac contractility in small animal models, and the effect of various metabolic disturbances on contractility (eg diabetes, lipid disorders) technologies in animal models Angiogenesis: cellular and molecular mechanisms of blood vessel formation in health and disease, hypoxia regulation, inflammation and angiogenesis, metabolic regulation, novel angiogenic therapeutic strategies Lymphangiogenesis: cellular and molecular mechanisms of the formation of the lymphatic system, lymphangiogenesis in health and disease Links between vessels and nerves: role of key angiogenesis signals in the nervous system, involvement and therapeutic potential of angiogenic molecules in neurodegenerative disease (ALS, MS PD), role of angiogenesis molecules as axon guidance signals, role of axon guidance cues as vessel navigation signals Stem cells and vascular heterogeneity, a new paradigm in vascular regeneration Genetic risk factors for cardiovascular disease: hypothesis-driven genetic screening of patient samples (gene-specific SNP analysis, etc) based on experimental findings, genome-wide screening strategies for the identification of novel risk factors Cardiovascular epidemiology Current therapeutic advances and drug development for cardiovascular diseases: specific examples with active participation from bioindustry. IP and regulatory issues, from bench to bedside (preclinical testing: safety and validation; from Phase I to Phase IV clinical trials) Format of the Programme Specific Training 1. Advanced level courses (topic and/or technology oriented based on the aforementioned list), given by PIs and including Q&A (2.5h per course). Over thirty courses are organized from which each student chooses 16 (40 hours in total). The courses are organized in a 3-year cycle, allowing flexible planning with concentration of the courses in the first 3 years of the doctoral training period. Day & time: Mondays 11am-1:30pm unless otherwise specified. See also table 1 and 2 below. 2. Journal clubs headed by PIs or senior postdocs. Topics for the journal clubs reflect the topics of the advanced level courses. Specific emphasis is geared towards the latest scientific publications in these respective areas. Several series of Journal clubs are organized; each student registers for 1 series and follows all sessions of the series (on average 10 journal club sessions of 1h per year). Day & time: arranged by the journal club coordinator with his/her series participants.
3 3. Work in progress seminars given by PhD or by post-docs (5h per year) A progress seminar has to be given by each student (in year 2), attended by the members of his/her supervising committee. NB, each student also has to give a literature seminar in the course of his/her doctoral training period. (= truncus communis) - In addition, each student attends to research seminars by fellow students (= programme specific training) - and to progress seminars by post-docs from the different laboratories participating in this doctoral school programme with a total of at least 5 hours per year. The seminars are listed on our Programme (see Toledo website of this programme). 5. Guest lectures (ca 15h per year) Lectures by leading scientists invited by the participating faculty, as part of existing seminar series, and from the Biomed distinguished lectures series. Guest lectures are communicated via our Programme (see Toledo Website of this programme). 6. Other activities: Attendance and participation of PhD students to national and international scientific meetings in the cardiovascular field will be encouraged
4 Table 1: Scheme of the advanced courses & lecturers for the period 2013-2016. 2013/2014 2014/2015 2015/2016 Metabolic aspects in vascular biology Peter Fraisl Cardiovascular epidemiology Tatyana Kouznetsova Marc Hoylaerts Marc Jacquemin/Jean-Marie Saint-Rémy Adult stem cells & vascular heterogeneity Aernout Luttun Atherogenesis Paul Holvoet Cardiac biology Stefan Janssens Electrophysiology/ion channels Karin Sipido Frank Rademakers Olivier Gheysen Cardiac development An Zwijsen Angiogenesis/inflammation/ischemia Max Mazzone Lymph/angiogenesis Vessels/Nerves Mieke Dewerchin Genetic risk factors Diether Lambrechts Katleen Freson Chris Van Geet Electrophysiol./ion channels Kanigula Mubagwa Electrophysiology/ion channels Rik Willems Jan D Hooge Yicheng Ni Cardiac developm/malformation Marc Gewillig Drug development Paul Declerck Lymph/angiogenesis Vessels/Nerves Mieke Dewerchin Angiogenesis Geert Carmeliet Peter Verhamme Fibrinolysis Roger Lijnen Lipoprotein metabolism Bart De Geest Cardiac biology Peter Sinnaeve Cardiac contractility Paul Herijgers Electrophysiol/ion channels Hein Heidbuchel Piet Claus Jens-Uwe Voigt Topic color code Angiogenesis Lymphangiogenesis - Links between vessels & nerves Genetic risk factors - Epidemioloy Fibrinolysis, thrombolysis, haemostasis Gene and stem cell bioengineering, adult stem cells Atherogenesis/lipoprotein metaboilsm Cardiac biology: ischemic injury, protection/repair, hypertrophy & heart failure Cardiac contractility Cardiac electrophysiology and ion channels Cardiac development, congenital malformations Drug development
5 Table 2: Layout of the programme & minimal training requirements. Courses Journal clubs PhD progress seminars Mondays, 11am - 1:30pm unless otherwise specified Morning or noontime series Seminars are communicated via the central Doctoral School administration Postdoc progress seminars 1-hour seminars Guest lectures Invited speakers, Kransen Cardiology, departmental seminar series Details are listed on the Program Events Calendar and are listed the our Program Communicated via the Program Communicated via the Program choose 4 (10 hours) per year over your Y1-Y4 Register for 1 series (10 hours) select 5 (5 hours) select 15 (15 hours) or choose 5-6 per year over your Y1-Y3 Overlaps with truncus communis +++ For details see our Programme on the Toledo site of the Thematic programme +++ For your research and literature seminar: pleas e-mail date, hour, location and title to mieke.dewerchin@vib-kuleuven.be so that the information can be listed on the Program Event Calendar. For courses: course schedule is listed on Toledo (Events calendar and table overview in Course schedule ). Please e-mail mieke.dewerchin@vib-kuleuven.be to inform of your course choices. For Journal clubs, contact mieke.dewerchin@vib-kuleuven.be or piet.claus@med.kuleuven.be to arrange your joining one of the club series.