Within the Department of ENT, University of Ghent, the Upper Airway Research Laboratory (URL, head: C. Bachert) was established in 1998 to structure basic scientific and translational research in the area of immunology of the nose.

Prof. C. Bachert and Dr. Ph. Gevaert established in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo models of allergic rhinitis and nasal polyposis. An example of “bench to bedside research” was the report of the role of IL-5 in nasal polyps and finally the administration of a anti-human IL-5 monoclonal antibody in a Phase I trial (Gevaert et al., 2006b). Prof. Bachert and Prof. Van Cauwenberge are members of ARIA, a WHO initiative on allergic rhinitis, and Prof. Bachert is member of EPO3S, an EAACI initiative, and the US counterpart, an AAAAI project, on rhinosinusitis. Prof P. van Cauwenberge is head of the GA2LEN project, part of the 6th European Framework program.

Prof C. Bachert heads WP 2.7.2, focussing on studies in chronic rhinosinusitis, together with 8 other centres of excellence within Europe. This WP coordinates research in the areas of epidemiology, remodeling, phenotyping of inflammation, T regulatory cell function, gene polymorphism, eicosanoid regulation, and impact of bacterial products on mucosal inflammation and IgE synthesis.

Prof. Bachert and the URL are also cooperating with the following international researchers: Prof P Howarth (impact of S. aureus in severe asthma), Southampton, UK, Prof G Lina (S. aureus enterotoxins), Lyon, France, Prof P Stierna (animal model of nasal polyposis), Stockholm, Sweden, Prof. S. Durham and Prof. H. Gould (local IgE synthesis), London, UK, Prof. A. Custovic (impact of S. aureus in childhood), Manchester, UK, Prof SE Dahlen (severe asthma), Stockholm, Sweden, and others.

URL Co-workers - De Panne - November 2008

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