Professor François Willermain, the leader of the Ophthalmology Research Group at IRIBHM is also the Head of the Ophthalmology Department of Saint-Pierre Hospital at Brussels. His main tropism in clinic and research is focused on uveitis, a group of disease characterized by intraocular inflammation. Non infectious uveitis are not only an important cause of blindness worldwide but also a paradigm of organ specific autoimmune disease.
Multiple steps are involved in autoimmune uveitis development, starting with peripheral activation of retina-specific T cells. The gut microbiome is probably playing a central role in this initial event. Once activated in the periphery, autoreactive lymphocytes migrate inside the eye, where a local reactivation occur leading to blood-retinal barrier (BRB) breakdown and intraocular inflammation with retinal tissue destruction. All these processes have been studied by our Ophthalmology group and represent potential targets for biological therapies.
Recent research projects are now focused on the role of chemerin and chemerin receptors in the development of experimental uveitis under the lead of JY Springael Lab.
Publications labo ophtalmo IRIBHM
High salt diet alleviates disease severity in native experimental autoimmune uveitis.Derluyn N, Foucart V, Verce M, Abdo R, Vaudoisey L, Lipski D, Flamand V, Everard A, Bruyns C, Willermain F. Front Ophthalmol (Lausanne). 2024 May 31;4:1370374. doi: 10.3389/fopht.2024.1370374.
Correction: Retinal endothelial cell phenotypic modifications during experimental autoimmune uveitis: a transcriptomic approach. Lipski DA, Foucart V, Dewispelaere R, Caspers LE, Defrance M, Bruyns C, Willermain F. BMC Ophthalmol. 2023 Mar 14;23(1):102. doi: 10.1186/s12886-023-02836-1.
Experimental Models to Study Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy. Datlibagi A, Zein-El-Din A, Frohly M, Willermain F, Delporte C, Motulsky E. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Feb 24;24(5):4509
Subretinal Therapy: Technological Solutions to Surgical and Immunological Challenges. Ladha R, Caspers LE, Willermain F, de Smet MD. Front Med (Lausanne). 2022 Mar 23;9:846782.
Retinal endothelial cell phenotypic modifications during experimental autoimmune uveitis: a transcriptomic approach. Lipski DA, Foucart V, Dewispelaere R, Caspers LE, Defrance M, Bruyns C, Willermain F. BMC Ophthalmol. 2020 Mar 17;20(1):106. doi: 10.1186/s12886-020-1333-5.
Potential Interplay between Hyperosmolarity and Inflammation on Retinal Pigmented Epithelium in Pathogenesis of Diabetic Retinopathy. Willermain F, Scifo L, Weber C, Caspers L, Perret J, Delporte C. Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Apr 2;19(4):1056.
MHC class II expression and potential antigen-presenting cells in the retina during experimental autoimmune uveitis. Lipski DA, Dewispelaere R, Foucart V, Caspers LE, Defrance M, Bruyns C, Willermain F.   J Neuroinflammation. 2017 Jul 18;14(1):136. doi: 10.1186/s12974-017-0915-5.
Effect of SOCS1 overexpression on RPE cell activation by proinflammatory cytokines. Bazewicz M, Draganova D, Makhoul M, Chtarto A, Elmaleh V, Tenenbaum L, Caspers L, Bruyns C, Willermain F. Neurosci Lett. 2016 Sep 6;630:209-215. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.07.054.
P2Y2R deficiency attenuates experimental autoimmune uveitis development. Relvas LJ, Makhoul M, Dewispelaere R, Caspers L, Communi D, Boeynaems JM, Robaye B, Bruyns C, Willermain F. PLoS One. 2015 Feb 18;10(2):e0116518. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116518.
TNFα suppresses IFNγ-induced MHC class II expression on retinal pigmented epithelial cells cultures. Makhoul M, Bruyns C, Edimo WE, Relvas LJ, Bazewicz M, Koch P, Caspers L, Willermain F. Acta Ophthalmol. 2012 Feb;90(1):e38-42. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2011.02241.x.
Extracellular nucleotides and interleukin-8 production by ARPE cells: potential role of danger signals in blood-retinal barrier activation. Relvas LJ, Bouffioux C, Marcet B, Communi D, Makhoul M, Horckmans M, Blero D, Bruyns C, Caspers L, Boeynaems JM, Willermain F. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2009 Mar;50(3):1241-6. doi: 10.1167/iovs.08-1902.
15-Deoxy-12,14-prostaglandin J2 inhibits interferon gamma induced MHC class II but not class I expression on ARPE cells through a PPAR gamma independent mechanism. Willermain F, Dulku S, Gonzalez NS, Blero D, Driessens G, De Graef C, Caspers L, Bruyns C. Prostaglandins Other Lipid Mediat. 2006 Sep;80(3-4):136-43. doi: 10.1016/j.prostalandins.2006.06.001.
IL-10 in vivo gene expression in a cell-induced animal model of proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Bali E, Willermain F, Caspers-Velu L, Dubois C, Dehou MF, Velu T, Libert J, Bruyns C. Int J Mol Med. 2003 Sep;12(3):305-10.
Retinal pigment epithelial cells phagocytosis of T lymphocytes: Possible implication for the immune privilege of the eye Willermain F, Caspers-Velu L, Nowak B, Stordeur P, Mosselmans R, Salmon I, Velu T, Bruyns C. Br J Ophthalmol. 2002 Dec;86(12):1417-21
Role and expression of CD40 on human RPE cells. Willermain F, Caspers-Velu L, Baudson N, Dubois C, Hamdane M, Willems F, Velu T, Bruyns C. Invest Ophthalm Vis Sci. 2000;41:3485-3491