NAmur Research Institute for LIfe Sciences
Fanny Hontoir
Pathophysiology and ageing of joints
Exploring alterations in joint tissue and biofluids associated with ageing and osteoarthritis
Prof. Fanny Hontoir DVM, PhD
UNamur, Department of veterinary medicine, Integrated Veterinary Research Unit (URVI)
Research portal UNamur | ORCID | ResearchGate | LinkedIn
Expertise and research interests
Prof. Hontoir graduated from veterinary school in 2007. She first practiced veterinary medicine in small animals in France for three years before moving to academia at ULiège and later UNamur. She started her academic career as an assistant in animal anatomy. She became the driving force behind the OASIS project and conducted her PhD thesis on advanced imaging of cartilage under the supervision of Prof. Jean-Michel Vandeweerd (UNamur) and Prof. Peter Clegg (University of Liverpool). In 2020, she was awarded the first FNRS postdoctoral fellowship at the UNamur Veterinary department. She carried out her postdoctoral research in collaboration with Prof. Mandy Peffers (University of Liverpool) and Prof. Tim Welting (MUMC Maastricht).
Fanny Hontoir is now Professor of Animal Physiology at UNamur, where she continues to develop her research on joint pathophysiology and ageing. She has a strong interest in depicting changes in the infrapatellar fat pad associated with ageing and osteoarthritis and is leading a project on synovial fluid biomarkers.
Beyond her research in the field of joint health, Fanny is also actively involved in studying sheep production, reproduction and welfare, including investigating the impact of agrivoltaics on sheep and developing a model for sheep reproduction.
Group members
PhD student: Marlies Dauwen
Research projects
- ONGOING Can proteomic profiles of synovial fluid and serum from an ovine model of post-traumatic osteoarthritis detect early biomarkers of osteoarthritis ? Ongoing PhD thesis by Marlies Dauwen (2023-…).
- ONGOING Alteration of the infrapatellar fat pad with ageing and osteoarthritis. Ongoing research project (2023-…).
- Investigation of small nucleolar RNA in ageing and osteoarthritis, in an ovine model: bringing fundamentals to a large animal model. Postdoctoral research by Dr. Fanny Hontoir (2020-2023).
- Do specific magnetic resonance imaging and contrast enhanced computed tomography imaging provide early detection of cartilage changes after subchondral bone mechanical or chemical stimulation in an ovine model? PhD thesis defended by Fanny Hontoir on 23/08/2018.
Selected publications
Hontoir F, Simon V, De Raeve Y, Dumortier L, Dugdale A, Vandeweerd JM. Apprendre l’anatomie radiographique en présentiel ou en ligne ? Une étude randomisée contrôlée. J Vet Med Educ. 2023 Apr;50(2):e20210153. French.
Hontoir F, Simon V, De Raeve Y, Dumortier L, Dugdale A, Vandeweerd JM. Can Online Teaching of Radiographic Anatomy Replace Conventional On-Site Teaching? A Randomized Controlled Study. J Vet Med Educ. 2023 Apr;50(2):217-227.
Hontoir F, Paques F, Simon V, Balau B, Nicaise C, Clegg P, Dugdale A, Vandeweerd JM. Is the T-ligament a ligament? A histological study in equine cadaver forelimbs. Res Vet Sci. 2020 May 23;132:10-16.
Hontoir F, Pirson R, Simon V, Clegg P, Nisolle JF, Kirschvink N, Vandeweerd JE. Age-related morphometric changes of the tidemark in the ovine stifle. Anat Histol Embryol. 2019 May 20.
Hontoir F, Clegg P, Simon V, Kirschvink N, Nisolle JF, Vandeweerd JM. Accuracy of computed tomographic arthrography for assessment of articular cartilage defects in the ovine stifle. Vet Radiol Ultrasound. 2017 Sep;58(5):512-523.
Hontoir F, Nisolle JF, Meurisse H, Simon V, Tallier M, Vanderstricht R, Antoine N, Piret J, Clegg P, Vandeweerd JM A comparison of 3-T magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography arthography to identify structural cartilage defects of the fetlock joint in the horse. Vet J 2014, 199:115-122.
