CMET - Kim DE PAEPE
MEDIS - Sylvain DENIS

At the forefront of gastrointestinal research, our team of expert scientists and bioengineers is dedicated to developing cutting-edge in vitro models of the human small intestine and its associated microbiota.

Team mission

Following the guidelines of the "3Rs" rule, which promotes the reduction of animal used for research purposes and the development of in vitro alternative strategies, we strive to create the most physiologically relevant and reproducible models of the human small intestine, enabling:

  • Reproduction of small intestinal composition and metabolic activities
  • Simulation of intestinal regionalisation
  • Healthy and disease - related models
  • Study of inter-individual variabilty
  • Personalized gut microbiome research
In close relation with the two other axes, newly developed models will be useful to investigate the :
  • Role of human small intestinal microbiota in food digestibility
  • Fate of pro-, post-, prebiotics in the small intestine, and their interactions with resident microbiota
  • Bug-drug interactions in the human small intestine