Project consortium
Coordinator (Partner 0)
PI: Joost Wauters, MD PhD
Institution: Laboratory for Clinical Infectious and Inflammatory Disorders, KU Leuven Medical Intensive Care Unit, ZU Leuven
Country: Leuven, Belgium
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Affiliation
Laboratory for Clinical Infectious and Inflammatory Disorders, University of Leuven, Belgium.
Expertise
- Specialist in Intensive Care Medicine and ICU physician at University Hospitals Leuven.
- Leads a translational research group on viral-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (VAPA).
- Expert in severe infections in critically ill patients, with extensive research on epidemiology, management, and pathophysiology of VAPA.
- Contributor to several guideline commissions and scientific societies, including ECMM and ECCMID.
Role in the Consortium
Contributing to all work packages (WPs), focusing on biomarker-based personalized medicine for VAPA.
Key Publications
- Feys S, …, Van De Veerdonk FL, Carvalho A, …, Wauters J. Lower respiratory tract single-cell RNA sequencing and neutrophil extracellular trap profiling of COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis: a single centre, retrospective, observational study. Lancet Microbe. 2024; doi: 10.1016/S2666-5247(23)00368-3.
- Feys S, …, Van De Veerdonk FL, …, Carvalho A, …, Wauters J. Lung epithelial and myeloid innate immunity in influenza-associated or COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis: an observational study. Lancet Respir Med. 2022;10(12):1147-1159.
- Vanderbeke L, …, Van de Veerdonk FL, …, Wauters J. Posaconazole for prevention of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in critically ill influenza patients (POSA-FLU): a randomised, open-label, proof-of-concept trial. Intensive Care Med. 2021;47(6):674-686.
- Verweij PE, …, Vanderbeke L, Wauters J, van de Veerdonk FL. Review of influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis in ICU patients and proposal for a case definition: an expert opinion. Intensive Care Med. 2020;46(8):1524-1535.
- Schauwvlieghe AFAD, …, Wauters J. Invasive aspergillosis in patients admitted to the intensive care unit with severe influenza: a retrospective cohort study. Lancet Respir Med. 2018;6(10):782-792.
Additional Information
- Leads several multicentric clinical trials (PosaFlu, IAPAFlu).
- Supervises PhD students and post-doc researchers.
- Secured multiple research grants, including EU H2020 and national funding (total exceeding €1.4 million).
Partner 1
PI: Martin Hoenigl, MD PhD
Institution: Translational Mycology Unit Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Graz
Country: Graz, Austria
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Affiliation
Medical University of Graz, Department of Internal Medicine, Graz, Austria.
Expertise
- Specialist in clinical and translational mycology, with over 15 years of experience.
- Former Associate Professor at the University of California San Diego, now at the Medical University of Graz.
- Research focuses on fungal diagnostics, host-pathogen interactions, and antifungal drug pharmacology.
- Published over 300 scientific papers, with a strong emphasis on invasive aspergillosis in ICU settings and viral-associated fungal infections.
Role in the Consortium
Contributing to WP1, WP3, WP4, WP5, and WP6, focusing on fungal diagnostics and host-pathogen interactions.
Key Publications
- Hoenigl M …, Goldman GH, Ibrahim AS, Carvalho A. COVID-19-associated fungal infections. Nat Microbiol. 2022; 7(8):1127-1140
- Prattes J, Wauters J, … Hoenigl M. Risk factors and outcome of pulmonary aspergillosis in critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 patients-a multinational observational study by the European Confederation of Medical Mycology. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2022; 28(4):580-587
- Hoenigl M, … White PL. Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing of Plasma for Diagnosis of COVID-19-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis. J Clin Microbiol. 2023;61(3):e0185922.
- Jenks JD,…, Hoenigl M. Performance of the Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid Aspergillus Galactomannan Lateral Flow Assay With Cube Reader for Diagnosis of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis: A Multicenter Cohort Study. Clin Infect Dis. 2021; 73(7):e1737-e1744
- Hatzl S, …, Hoenigl M, Schilcher G. Antifungal prophylaxis for prevention of COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis in critically ill patients: an observational study. Crit Care. 2021; 25(1):335.
Additional Information
- Head of the Translational Mycology Unit at the Medical University of Graz.
- Immediate past president (2017–2023) and current Clinical Study Director of the European Confederation of Medical Mycology (ECMM).
- Principal Investigator (PI) of multiple multicenter studies on Candida and Aspergillus infections.
- Recipient of prestigious awards, including the ID Week Diagnostic Award and the Research Promotion Award of the German-Speaking Mycological Society.
- Supervises 3 PhD students and 2 postdocs.
- Active on X (@martinhoenigl) and YouTube (Clinical Mycology), sharing clinical mycology insights.
Partner 2
PI: Frank van de Veerdonk, MD PhD
Institution: Department of Internal Medicine, Radboudumd Center for Infectious Diseases
Country: Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Affiliation
Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Expertise
- Professor of Immunotherapy for Infectious Diseases.
- Specialist in infectious diseases and immunodeficiencies.
- Discovered the monogenetic cause of chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (STAT1 GOF mutations).
- Identified rare TLR7 mutations linked to severe COVID-19.
- Investigated IL-1 biology and its role in diseases like cystic fibrosis and invasive aspergillosis.
- Studied hyperinflammatory responses in COVID-19, including the kallikrein-kinin system (KKS) and potential therapies.
Role in the Consortium
Contributing to WP3 and WP4, focusing on immunotherapy in fungal infections and severe viral infections.
Key Publications
- van de Veerdonk FL, Giamarellos-Bourboulis E, Pickkers P, Derde L, Leavis H, van Crevel R, et al. A guide to immunotherapy for COVID-19. Nature Med. 2022;28(1):39-50.
- van de Veerdonk FL, Renga G, Pariano M, Bellet MM, Servillo G, Fallarino F, et al. Anakinra restores cellular proteostasis by coupling mitochondrial redox balance to autophagy. J Clin Invest. 2022;132(2).
- van de Veerdonk FL, Bruggemann RJM, Vos S, De Hertogh G, Wauters J, Reijers MHE, et al. COVID-19-associated Aspergillus tracheobronchitis: the interplay between viral tropism, host defence, and fungal invasion. The Lancet Respir Med. 2021;9(7):795-802.
- Investigators R-C, Gordon AC, Mouncey PR, …, van de Veerdonk FL, Zarychanski R, …, Derde LPG Interleukin-6 Receptor Antagonists in Critically Ill Patients with Covid-19. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2021;384(16):1491-502.
- van der Made CI, Simons A, Schuurs-Hoeijmakers J, …, Netea MG, van de Veerdonk FL, Hoischen A. Presence of Genetic Variants Among Young Men With Severe COVID-19. JAMA 2020;324(7):663-73.
Additional Information
- Leads the H2020 HDM-FUN project, the first major multi-center trial on immunotherapy for fungal infections.
- Recipient of prestigious awards, including the Hermersdorf Prize and international young investigator awards.
- Coordinated several large grants on COVID-19 and fungal infections.
- Supervised 13 PhD students (all continuing in research) and currently supervises 3 PhD students and 1 postdoc.
Partner 3
PI: Agostinho Carvalho
Institution: Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho
Country: Braga, Portugal
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Affiliation
University of Minho, Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), Braga, Portugal.
Expertise
- Specializes in the molecular and cellular dynamics of host-fungus interactions.
- Renowned for studying host genetics and susceptibility to fungal diseases.
- Uses cellular and animal models along with large patient cohorts to explore antifungal immunity.
- Focuses on genetic variations in galectin-3 and their role in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA).
Role in the Consortium
WP3
Key Publications
- Feys S, …, Carvalho A, Van Weyenbergh J, Wauters J. Lung epithelial and myeloid innate immunity in influenza-associated or COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis: an observational study. Lancet Respir Med. 2022; 10(12):1147-1159
- Gonçalves SM, …, Carvalho A. Phagosomal removal of fungal melanin reprograms macrophage metabolism to promote antifungal immunity. Nat Commun. 2020; 11(1):2282
- Stappers MHT, …, Carvalho A, Willment JA, Latgé JP, Brown GD. Recognition of DHN-melanin by a C-type lectin receptor is required for immunity to Aspergillus. Nature. 2018; 555(7696):382-386
- Cunha C,…, Carvalho A. IL-10 overexpression predisposes to invasive aspergillosis by suppressing antifungal immunity. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2017; 140(3):867-870.e9
- Cunha C, …, Carvalho A. Genetic PTX3 deficiency and aspergillosis in stemcell transplantation. N Engl J Med. 2014; 370(5):421-32.
Additional Information
- Holds several editorial roles in major scientific journals.
- Awarded the SPI Best Paper Award (2023) by the Portuguese Society for Immunology.
- Fellow of the European Confederation of Medical Mycology.
- Leads multiple funded research projects (e.g., Horizon 2020, FCT, „la Caixa“).
Partner 4
PI: Augusto Vincent
Institution: Centre for Biomedical and Healthcare Engineering, Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Etienne
Country: Saint-Etienne, France
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Affiliation
Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Etienne, St-Etienne, France.
Expertise
- Specializes in performance evaluation and healthcare system engineering.
- Expertise in operational research, simulation, process mining, and machine learning for healthcare decision-making.
- Completed his PhD in Industrial Engineering (2008) and later obtained his Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (2016) on Health Territories Engineering.
- Director of the Center for Biomedical and Healthcare Engineering (since 2020).
- Co-responsible for MedTechLab, a healthcare innovation lab.
Role in the Consortium
WP4
Key Publications
- Rejeb O., C. Pilet, S. Hamana, X…., P. Biron, L. Perrier, V. Augusto. Performance and cost evaluation of health information systems using microcosting and discrete-event simulation, Health Care Management Science 2017, doi.org/10.1007/s10729-017-9402-x
- Prodel M., V. Augusto, B. Jouaneton, L. Lamarsalle, X. Xie. Optimal Process Mining for Large and Complex Event Logs, Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering 2017, doi.org/10.1109/TASE.2017.2784436
- Prodel M., V. Augusto, X. Xie, B. Jouaneton and L. Lamarsalle. Evaluation of discovered clinical pathways using process mining and joint agent-based discrete-event simulation. Best Applied Paper, Proc. of the 2016 Winter Simulation Conf., Arlington, VA, USA.
- Augusto V., O. Rejeb, X., …, Durand and S. Aloui. Performance evaluaton of health information systems using ARIS modeling and discrete-event simulation. Proc. of the 2015 Winter Simulation Conf., Huntington Beach, CA, USA.
- Rodriguez-Verjan C., V. Augusto, X. Xie and V. Buthion. Economic comparison between Hospital at Home and Traditional Hospitalization using a simulation based approach. J. of Enterprise Information Management 2012, 26, 135–153.
Additional Information
- Best Applied Paper Award – Winter Simulation Conference (2016).
- General Co-chair, CASE2021 – IEEE Conference on Automation Science and Engineering.
- Associate Editor, IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering (since 2021).
- Health Data Hub Expert (CESREES) – Oversees national access to health data in France (since 2017).
- Organized the JESS symposium series on health efficiency (2014-2019).
- Led the SticAmSud project (OPCD) – International collaboration on outcome prediction in complex diseases and clinical pathway discovery (2019-2020).
Teams
Team Joost Wauters
Team Martin Hoenigl
Team Agostinho Carvalho
Team Augusto Vincent