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Introduction
Additional affiliations
January 1996 - December 2012
April 1991 - December 1995
January 1990 - March 1991
Publications
Publications (386)
Background:
Novel protein sources can represent a risk for allergic consumers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the allergenicity of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), an increasingly consumed legume and potential new industrial food ingredient which may put legume-allergic patients at risk.
Methods:
Children with allergy to legumes associated to...
The increasing number of people living with Long COVID requires the development of more personalized care; currently, limited treatment options and rehabilitation programs adapted to the variety of Long COVID presentations are available. Our objective was to design an easy-to-use Long COVID classification to help stratify people with Long COVID. In...
Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) can be asymptomatic or lead to a wide symptom spectrum, including multi-organ damage and death. Here, we explored the potential of microRNAs in delineating patient condition and predicting clinical outcome. Plasma microRNA profiling of hospitalized COVID-19 patients showed that miR-144-3p was dynamically regulate...
The increasing number of people living with Long COVID requires the development of more personalized care, as for now limited treatment options and rehabilitation programs adapted to the variety of Long COVID presentations are available. Our objective was to design an easy-to-use Long COVID classification to help stratifying people with Long COVID....
People with COVID-19 can experience impairing symptoms that require enhanced surveillance. Our objective was to train an artificial intelligence-based model to predict the presence of COVID-19 symptoms and derive a digital vocal biomarker for easily and quantitatively monitoring symptom resolution. We used data from 272 participants in the prospect...
Objectives: Infections with SARS-CoV-2 have a pronounced impact on the gastrointestinal tract and its resident microbiome. Clear differences between severe cases of infection and healthy individuals have been reported, including the loss of commensal taxa. We aimed to understand if microbiome alterations including functional shifts are unique to se...
Background:
Numerous patient-based studies have highlighted the protective role of immunoglobulin E-mediated allergic diseases on glioblastoma (GBM) susceptibility and prognosis. However, the mechanisms behind this observation remain elusive. Our objective was to establish a preclinical model able to recapitulate this phenomenon and investigate th...
After more than two years, COVID-19 still represents a global health burden of unprecedented extent and assessing the degree of immunity of individuals against SARS-CoV-2 remains a challenge. Virus neutralization assays represent the gold standard for assessing antibody-mediated protection against SARS-CoV-2 in sera from recovered and/or vaccinated...
Introduction
Long COVID is characterized by a variety of symptoms and an important burden for affected people. Our objective was to describe Long COVID symptomatology according to initial COVID-19 severity.
Methods
Predi-COVID cohort study participants, recruited at the time of acute COVID-19 infection, completed a detailed 12-month symptoms and q...
Allergens from furry animals frequently cause sensitization and respiratory allergic diseases. Most relevant mammalian respiratory allergens belong either to the protein family of lipocalins or secretoglobins. Their mechanism of sensitization remains largely unresolved. Mammalian lipocalin and secretoglobin allergens are associated with a function...
Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is the only currently available curative treatment option for allergic diseases. AIT often includes depot-forming and immunostimulatory adjuvants, to prolong allergen presentation and to improve therapeutic efficacy. The use of aluminium salts in AIT, which are commonly used as depot-forming adjuvants, is contr...
Natural killer (NK) cells are important effectors of the innate immune system and participate in the first line of defense against infections and tumors. Prior to being functional, these lymphocytes must be educated or licensed through interactions of their major histocompatibility complex class I molecules with self-specific inhibitory receptors t...
SARS-CoV-2 variants raise concern because of their high transmissibility and their ability to evade neutralizing antibodies elicited by prior infection or by vaccination. Here, we compared the neutralizing abilities of sera from 70 unvaccinated COVID-19 patients infected before the emergence of variants of concern (VOCs) and of 16 vaccine breakthro...
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease. Brain neuroinflammation plays a role in PD pathogenesis. However, the involvement of the peripheral immune system has not been systematically investigated. Here we analyzed >700 combinatorial immunological features in fresh blood of 28 early-to-mid-stage PD patients and 2...
SARS-CoV-2 variants raise concern because of their high transmissibility and their ability to evade neutralizing antibodies elicited by prior infection or by vaccination. Here we compared the ability of sera from 70 unvaccinated COVID-19 patients infected before the emergence of variants of concern (VOCs) and from 16 vaccine breakthrough infection...
Alterations in the gut microbiome, including diet-driven changes, are linked to the rising prevalence of food allergy, yet little is known about how specific gut bacteria incite breakdown of oral tolerance. Here, we show that depriving specific-pathogen-free mice of dietary fiber leads to an increase of the mucolytic bacterium Akkermansia muciniphi...
Background:
Food challenges carry a burden of safety, effort and resources. Clinical reactivity and presentation, such as thresholds and symptoms, are considered challenging to predict ex-vivo.
Aims:
To identify changes of peripheral immune signatures during oral food challenges (OFC) that correlate with the clinical outcome in patients with pea...
Pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) is the gatekeeper enzyme of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Here we show that the deglycase DJ-1 (encoded by PARK7, a key familial Parkinson’s disease gene) is a pacemaker regulating PDH activity in CD4⁺ regulatory T cells (Treg cells). DJ-1 binds to PDHE1-β (PDHB), inhibiting phosphorylation of PDHE1-α (PDHA), thus...
Dietary fibers can alter microbial metabolic output in support of healthy immune function, however, the impact of distinct fiber sources and immunomodulatory effects beyond short-chain fatty acid production are underexplored. In an effort to discern the effects of diverse fibers on host immunity, we employed five distinct rodent diets with varying...
Dietary fibers can alter microbial metabolic output in support of healthy immune function, however, the impact of distinct fiber sources and immunomodulatory effects beyond short-chain fatty acid production are underexplored. In an effort to discern the effects of diverse fibers on host immunity, we employed five distinct rodent diets with varying...
Allergy to Polistes dominula (European paper wasp) venom is of particular relevance in Southern Europe, potentially becoming a threat in other regions in the near future, and can be effectively cured by venom immunotherapy (VIT). As allergen content in extracts may vary and have an impact on diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, the aim was to com...
Background
The α-Gal syndrome is associated with the presence of IgE directed to the carbohydrate galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal) and is characterized by a delayed allergic reaction occurring 2 to 6 hours after ingestion of mammalian meat. On the basis of their slow digestion and processing kinetics, α-Gal–carrying glycolipids have been proposed...
Objective
To investigate if the physical activity (PA) prior to infection is associated with the severity of the disease in patients positively tested for COVID-19, as well as with the most common symptoms.
Design
A cross-sectional study using baseline data from a prospective, hybrid cohort study (Predi-COVID) in Luxembourg. Data were collected fr...
While immunopathology has been widely studied in severe COVID-19 patients, immune responses in non-hospitalized patients have remained largely elusive. We systematically analyze 484 peripheral cellular or soluble immune features in a longitudinal cohort of 63 mild and 15 hospitalized patients versus 14 asymptomatic and 26 household controls. We obs...
Stress hormones are believed to skew the CD4 T‐cell differentiation toward a Th2 response via a T cell‐extrinsic mechanism. Using primary human naïve and memory CD4 T cells, here we show that both adrenergic‐ and glucocorticoid‐mediated stress signaling pathways play a CD4 naïve T cell‐intrinsic role in regulating the Th1/Th2 differentiation balanc...
Decline in immune function during aging increases susceptibility to different aging-related diseases. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms, especially the genetic factors contributing to imbalance of naïve/memory T-cell subpopulations, still remain largely elusive. Here, we show that loss of DJ-1 encoded by PARK7/DJ-1, causing early-onset f...
Despite significant progress in recent years, the therapeutic approach of the multiple different forms of human cancer often remains a challenge. Besides the well-established cancer surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, immunotherapeutic strategies gain more and more attention, and some of them have already been successfully introduced into the c...
Allergy to galactose‐1,3‐alpha‐galactose (alpha‐gal) is a rare IgE‐mediated allergy1, where symptoms mainly occur hours2,3 after ingestion of mammalian innards or meat, e.g. pork, beef, and lamb. Knowledge on absorption rate and size of allergens, i.e. proteins and especially glycoproteins and glycolipids, are sparse, with many variables involved;...
The prevalence of food allergies has reached epidemic levels but the cause remains largely unknown. We discuss the clinical relevance of the gut mucosal barrier as a site for allergic sensitization to food. In this context, we focus on an important but overlooked part of the mucosal barrier in pathogenesis, the glycoprotein-rich mucus layer, and ca...
Background:
Immediate as well as delayed-type hypersensitivity immune reactions to pet-borne allergens are commonly observed in atopic diseases. Further on in atopic dermatitis (AD), cross-reactivity to self-proteins is discussed to contribute to the disease. Human cystatin A and the cat allergen Fel d 3 belong to the cystatin family, an evolution...
While immunopathology has been widely studied in severe COVID-19 patients, immunoprotective factors in non-hospitalized patients have remained largely elusive. We systematically analyzed 484 peripheral immune cell signatures, various serological parameters and TCR repertoire in a longitudinal cohort of 63 mild and 15 hospitalized patients versus 14...
Discriminating Polistes dominula and Vespula spp. venom allergy is of growing importance worldwide, as systemic reactions to either species’ sting can lead to severe outcomes. Administering the correct allergen-specific immunotherapy is therefore a prerequisite to ensure the safety and health of venom-allergic patients. Component-resolved diagnosti...
Biobanking is an operational component of various epidemiological studies and clinical trials. Although peripheral blood is routinely acquired and stored in biobanks, the effects of specimen processing on cell composition and clinically relevant functional markers of T cells still require a systematic evaluation. In this study, we assessed 25 relev...
Decline in immune function during aging increases susceptibility to different aging related diseases. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms, especially the genetic factors contributing to imbalance of naïve/memory T-cell subpopulations, still remain largely elusive. Here we show that loss of DJ-1 encoded by PARK7/DJ-1, causing early-onset fa...
Biobanking is an operational component of various epidemiological studies and clinical trials. Although peripheral blood is routinely acquired and stored in biobanks, the effects of specimen processing on cell composition and clinically-relevant functional markers of T cells still require a systematic evaluation. Here we assessed 25 relevant T-cell...
Asymptomatic individuals, called “silent spreaders” spread SARS-CoV-2 efficiently and have complicated control of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As seen in previous influenza pandemics, socioeconomic and life-trajectory factors are important in disease progression and outcome. The demographics of the asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 carriers are unknown. We...
Severe reactions in IgE‐mediated food‐allergic patients can occur within minutes after ingestion, but the eliciting mechanism(s), linking the amount of allergenic food to the heterogeneity of clinical manifestations, are yet unknown. Quantification of IgE reactive allergenic food in circulation is a prerequisite for understanding the kinetics of th...
Background
To accompany the lifting of COVID-19 lockdown measures, Luxembourg implemented a mass screening (MS) programme. The first phase coincided with an early summer epidemic wave in 2020.
Methods
rRT-PCR-based screening for SARS-CoV-2 was performed by pooling of samples. The infrastructure allowed the testing of the entire resident and cross-...
Progressive knowledge of allergenic structures resulted in a broad availability of allergenic molecules for diagnosis. Component resolved diagnosis allowed a better understanding of patient sensitization patterns, facilitating allergen immunotherapy decisions. In parallel to the discovery of allergenic molecules, there was a progressive development...
Progressive knowledge of allergenic structures resulted in a broad availability of allergenic molecules for diagnosis. Component resolved diagnosis allowed a better understanding of patient sensitization patterns, facilitating allergen immunotherapy decisions. In parallel to the discovery of allergenic molecules, there was a progressive development...
Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are involved in vasculogenesis and cardiovascular diseases. However, the phenotype of circulating EPCs remains elusive but they are more often described as CD34⁺KDR⁺. The aim of the study was to extensively characterize circulating potential vasculogenic stem cell candidates in two populations of patients with ca...
Background
Furry animals are an important source of indoor allergens. Diagnosis of allergy to small pets such as guinea‐pigs still relies on animal dander extracts which do not allow to define the primary sensitization source.
Objective
To identify major guinea‐pig allergens and to evaluate their potential as marker allergens for in vitro IgE‐diag...
Older adults, especially men and/or those with diabetes, hypertension and/or obesity, are prone to severe COVID‐19. In some countries, older adults, particularly those residing in nursing homes, have been prioritised to receive COVID‐19 vaccines due to high risk of death. In very rare instances,the COVID‐19 vaccines can induce anaphylaxis, and the...
Vaccines are essential public health tools with a favorable safety profile and prophylactic effectiveness that have historically played significant roles in reducing infectious disease burden in populations, when the majority of individuals are vaccinated. The COVID‐19 vaccines are expected to have similar positive impacts on health across the glob...
Adrenomedullin (ADM) and proadrenomedullin N-terminal 20 peptide (PAMP) are two peptides with vasodilative, bronchodilative, and angiogenic properties, originating from a common precursor, proADM. Previous studies proposed that the atypical chemokine receptor ACKR3 might act as a low-affinity scavenger for ADM, regulating its availability for its c...
Atypical chemokine receptors (ACKRs) are important regulators of chemokine functions. Among them, the atypical chemokine receptor ACKR2 (also known as D6) has long been considered as a scavenger of inflammatory chemokines exclusively from the CC family. In this study, by using highly sensitive β-arrestin recruitment assays based on NanoBiT and Nano...
Background:
As in many fields of medical care, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) resulted in an increased uncertainty regarding the safety of allergen immunotherapy (AIT). Therefore, the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) aimed to analyze the situation in different countries and systematically collect all information...
Many players regulating the CD4⁺ T cell-mediated inflammatory response have already been identified. However, the critical nodes that constitute the regulatory and signaling networks underlying CD4 T cell responses are still missing. Using a correlation-network-guided approach, here we identified VIMP (VCP-interacting membrane protein), one of the...
Prevalence and incidence of IgE-mediated allergic diseases have increased over the past years in developed and developing countries. Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is currently the only curative treatment available for allergic diseases that has long-term efficacy. Although AIT has been proven successful as an immunomodulatory therapy since...
Vaccines are essential public health tools with a favorable safety profile and prophylactic effectiveness that have historically played significant roles in reducing infectious disease burden in populations, when the majority of individuals are vaccinated. The COVID-19 vaccines are expected to have similar positive impacts on health across the glob...
Food allergy is a collective term for several immune-mediated responses to food. IgE-mediated food allergy is the best-known subtype. The patients present with a marked diversity of clinical profiles including symptomatic manifestations, threshold reactivity and reaction kinetics. In-vitro predictors of these clinical phenotypes are evasive and con...
The first approved COVID‐19 vaccines include Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162B2, Moderna mRNA‐1273 and AstraZeneca recombinant adenoviral ChAdOx1‐S. Soon after approval, severe allergic reactions to the mRNA‐based vaccines that resolved after treatment were reported. Regulatory agencies from the European Union, Unites States and the United Kingdom agree that...
The role of innate immune cells in allergen immunotherapy that confers immune tolerance to the sensitizing allergen is unclear. Here, we report a role of interleukin-10-producing type 2 innate lymphoid cells (IL-10⁺ ILC2s) in modulating grass-pollen allergy. We demonstrate that KLRG1⁺ but not KLRG1– ILC2 produced IL-10 upon activation with IL-33 an...
Background
The prevalence of allergy to cat is expanding worldwide. Allergen‐specific immunotherapy (AIT) has advantages over symptomatic pharmacotherapy and promises long lasting disease control in allergic patients. However, there is still a need to improve cat AIT regarding efficacy, safety and adherence to the treatment. Here we aim to boost im...
Background
The amount of data generated in large clinical and phenotyping studies that use single-cell cytometry is constantly growing. Recent technological advances allow the easy generation of data with hundreds of millions of single-cell data points with >40 parameters, originating from thousands of individual samples. The analysis of that amoun...
Background
A comprehensive diagnostic work-up is essential to ensure adequate patient management for the potentially life-threatening condition of Hymenoptera venom allergy (HVA). This includes an unambiguous identification of the allergy-relevant venom as prerequisite for successful venom-specific immunotherapy (VIT). If the clinical history does...
Abstract Mitochondrial dysfunction is linked to pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, individual mitochondria-based analyses do not show a uniform feature in PD patients. Since mitochondria interact with each other, we hypothesize that PD-related features might exist in topological patterns of mitochondria interaction networks (MINs)....
Allergic diseases of the (upper and lower) airways, the skin as well as the gastrointestinal tract, are on the rise, resulting in impaired quality of life, decreased productivity and increased healthcare costs. As allergic diseases are mostly tissue specific, local sampling methods for respective biomarkers offer the potential for increased sensiti...
Sex steroids, such as estrogens and androgens, are important regulators of the humoral immune response. Studies in female mice have demonstrated that alteration of circulating estrogen concentration regulates antibody-mediated immunity. As males have normally little endogenous estrogen, we hypothesized that in males high estrogens and low androgens...
Allergic reactions to stings of Hymenoptera species may be severe and are potentially fatal deviations of the immunological response observed in healthy individuals. However, venom-specific immunotherapy (VIT) is an immunomodulatory approach able to cure venom allergy in the majority of affected patients. An appropriate therapeutic intervention and...
The education or licensing process is essentially required for the proper anti-tumor function of natural killer (NK) cells. Although several models for education have been proposed, the genetic factors regulating these processes still remain largely elusive. Here we show that FAM13A (family with sequence similarity 13, member A), strongly linked to...
Background: The amount of data generated in large clinical and phenotyping studies that use single-cell cytometry is constantly growing. Recent technological advances allow to easily generate data with hundreds of millions of single-cell data points with more than 40 parameters, originating from thousands of individual samples. The analysis of that...
Many players regulating the CD4 ⁺ T cell-mediated inflammatory response have already been identified. However, the critical nodes that constitute the regulatory and signalling networks underlying CD4 T cell responses are still missing. Using a correlation network-guided strategy based on time-series transcriptome data of human CD4 ⁺ CD25 ⁻ effector...
