Prof. dr. Ilse Smolders has been awarded a prestigious research grant from the Queen Elisabeth Medical Foundation.
The grant was awarded during a ceremony attended by Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid, highlighting the importance of supporting innovative biomedical research with the potential to improve patients' lives.
Through this project, Prof. Smolders and her team will investigate the role of microglia, the brain’s immune cells, in the development and progression of epilepsy. Using advanced chemogenetic approaches, the research aims to selectively modulate microglial activity and uncover how these cells influence neuronal networks, seizure activity, and disease progression. The findings could pave the way for entirely new therapeutic strategies for people living with epilepsy.
This award is a wonderful recognition of Prof. Smolders' pioneering work and of the dedication of the entire research team and collaborators involved.