Virginie Joris

Virginie is a postdoctoral researcher in our lab, working as part of the Regenerative Medicine Crossing Borders (RegMed XB) public-private partnership. Her research focuses on reducing off-target populations in iPSC-derived kidney organoids, with the ultimate goal of providing patient-specific solutions for chronic kidney disease, a condition that currently increases all types of mortality. While renal transplantation is a common treatment, it is hindered by the lack of donors and risks of immune rejection. Regenerative medicine-based strategies like kidney organoids derived from iPSCs provide a promising alternative. However, current organoid differentiation protocols can result in the emergence of off-target populations, such as neurons, muscle, and cartilage, which can limit their effectiveness. Virginie's project aims to address this challenge by reducing the off-target populations that develop within the kidney organoids.

Virgine was awarded the Marie Curie European Fellowships for her project GECKO that focuses on kidney organoid formation and, more specifically, understanding the reasons behind the consistent observation of off-target cell populations, such as chondrocytes, within the organoid during growth. 

When Virginie is not in the lab, she enjoys reading and playing video games.

Research

Reducing off-target populations in kidney organoids

Education

PhD, Biomedical Sciences, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium (2020)

MSc, Biomedical Sciences, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium (2013)

BSc, Biomedical Sciences, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium (2011)