Luc Berghman

Scholarly Interests

Major long-term goals are (1) to acquire fundamental new knowledge of avian immune system and (2) to apply this new knowledge toward the development of novel immuno-biotechnological tools, such as vaccines, immunoassays and diagnostics. Basic avian immune studies include the study of cellular and humoral interactions, especially those involving the chicken professional antigen-presenting cells (APC)s (macrophages, dendritic cells and B-cells). This includes immunohistochemical micro-anatomical studies and the study of gene expression profiles. Immuno-biotechnological applications include the development of monoclonal antibodies (a routine procedure and hallmark of our lab), polyclonal antibodies and chicken egg yolk antibodies for diagnostic, prophylactic and therapeutic purposes. Current projects feature the development of antibody-targeted, “smart” vaccines and vectored vaccines, and the development of immunodiagnostic and analytical tools for the detection of a wide variety of molecules and microorganisms.