Prof Jan Deprest

KUL Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology/UZ Leuven
Consultant Obstetrician Gynaecologist

Jan Deprest is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and Consultant Obstetrician Gynaecologist at the University Hospitals Leuven (Belgium). Prof Deprest is currently the academic chair of his department and the director of the Centre for Surgical Technologies at the Faculty of Medicine. He trained in fetal medicine in Leuven, St George’s Hospital London (UK), Leiden (Holland) and attended the programme at Children’s Hospital Philadelphia (PA, USA). He established the Eurofoetus consortium, which is dedicated to the development of instruments and techniques for minimally invasive fetal and placental surgery. The Leuven Fetal Medicine Team focusses on antenatal modulation of lung development, e.g. for pulmonary hypoplasia due to congenital diaphragmatic hernia as well as for bronchopulmonary dysplasia. He headed several clinical studies dedicated to the prenatal prediction of survival chances of fetuses with isolated CDH using genetic testing, ultrasound and fetal MRI. He developed a percutaneous method for fetoscopic placement of a balloon into the fetal trachea (“FETO”). In a European task force together with the University of Barcelona (Hospital Clinic) and London (King’s College Hospital) could report on over 200 such procedures by 2009. This group now also conducts a world-wide randomized trial (www.totaltrial.eu). The group also researches the application of amniotic fluid derived stem cells for treating fetuses or neonates with CDH. Research into fetal membrane wound healing is ongoing, as the clinical problem of iatrogenic premature preterm rupture of the fetal membranes is not solved yet. More recently the group moved into open fetal surgery for spina bifida. The current project is dedicated to making this intervention less invasive.

GIFT-Surg focus

He and his colleague will participate in the project in different ways. As a clinical fetal surgery center with a large portfolio of procedures, they will bring in their experience as well as patient material. Close interaction with the engineers working on image analysis as well as instrument building will contribute to swift progress and problem solving. Also the group offers the opportunity for testing innovation in the safe setting of the experimental surgical lab, prior to move to clinical application.

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