VIB’s core mission is to generate disruptive insights in the molecular underpinning of life and to translate these actively into impactful innovations for patients and society. VIB is an independent research institute where some 1,800 top scientists from Belgium and abroad conduct pioneering basic research. As such, they are pushing the boundaries of what we know about molecular mechanisms and how they rule living organisms such as human beings, animals, plants, and microorganisms. Based on a close partnership with five Flemish universities – Ghent University, KU Leuven, University of Antwerp, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and Hasselt University – and supported by a solid funding program, VIB unites the expertise of all its collaborators and research groups in a single institute. VIB’s technology transfer activities translate research results into concrete benefits for society such as new diagnostics and therapies and agricultural innovations. These applications are often developed by young start-ups from VIB or through collaborations with other companies. This also leads to additional employment and bridges the gap between scientific research and entrepreneurship. VIB also engages actively in the public debate on biotechnology by developing and disseminating a wide range of science-based information. More info can be found on www.vib.be.

VIB’s core mission is to generate disruptive insights in the molecular underpinning of life and to translate these actively into impactful...

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Joran Lauwers

Het is de kerntaak van VIB om baanbrekende inzichten te genereren in de moleculaire onderbouwing van het leven en deze actief te vertalen naar impactvolle innovaties voor patiënten en de maatschappij. VIB is een onafhankelijk onderzoeksinstituut waar zo'n 1.800 topwetenschappers uit binnen- en buitenland baanbrekend fundamenteel onderzoek verrichten. In die hoedanigheid verleggen ze de grenzen van wat we weten over moleculaire mechanismen en hoe die levende organismen zoals mensen, dieren, planten en micro-organismen beheersen. Op basis van een nauw partnerschap met vijf Vlaamse universiteiten - Universiteit Gent, KU Leuven, Universiteit Antwerpen, Vrije Universiteit Brussel en Universiteit Hasselt - en ondersteund door een sterk financieringsprogramma, verenigt VIB de expertise van al haar medewerkers en onderzoeksgroepen in één enkel instituut. Via technologietransfer  vertaalt VIB onderzoeksresultaten naar concrete toepassingen voor de maatschappij, zoals nieuwe diagnostica, geneesmiddelen en innovaties in de landbouw. Deze toepassingen worden vaak ontwikkeld door jonge startups van VIB of door samenwerkingen met andere bedrijven. Dit leidt ook tot extra werkgelegenheid en overbrugt de kloof tussen wetenschappelijk onderzoek en ondernemerschap. VIB neemt ook actief deel aan het publieke debat over biotechnologie door een brede waaier van wetenschappelijk onderbouwde informatie te ontwikkelen en te verspreiden. Meer info op www.vib.be.

Het is de kerntaak van VIB om baanbrekende inzichten te genereren in de moleculaire onderbouwing van het leven en deze actief te vertalen naar...

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Tracer metabolomics reveals the role of aldose reductase in glycosylation

New research shows insights into devastating metabolic disease

Leuven, June 5 – The VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Research, Greenwood Genetic Center (South Carolina, US), Mayo Clinic (Minnesota, US), and the University of Missouri (Missouri, US) joined forces to tackle the challenges of treating patients with a metabolic disorder known as PMM2-congenital disorder of glycosylation (PMM2-CDG). By unraveling the molecular mechanisms driving this disease, the researchers were able to leverage existing diabetes medication to improve patients’ quality of life. Their work has been published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine.

Leuven, 25 May 2023 - Although millions of people are affected by Alzheimer’s disease, there are still many unknowns about the underlying mechanisms of the disorder. In their latest research, scientists from the lab of Wim Annaert (VIB-KU Leuven) uncovered a piece of the mechanistic puzzle by showing how a gene variation in the neurons’ ‘garbage disposal’ system can lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

How garbage disposal clogs in cells can lead to Alzheimer’s

Leuven, 25 May 2023 - Although millions of people are affected by Alzheimer’s disease, there are still many unknowns about the underlying...

The Spatial Catalyst will bring together expertise to enable complex spatial research methods

VIB Spatial Catalyst capitalizes on diverse omics talent to professionalize spatial technology activities

Ghent, 23 May 2023 – Spatial omics technologies are an emerging discipline in scientific research that have been steadily gaining importance over the past few years. Building on VIB Technologies’ broad range of technological expertise, VIB is leveraging spatial technologies through its new Spatial Catalyst unit. In doing so, the organization hopes to make spatial technologies more accessible, integrating it in all layers of its research activities.

An MCH axon in the brain of a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Scientists shed light on a sleep peptide involved in Alzheimer’s

VIB researchers show how dendritic cells mature without causing an immune response

Researchers reveal a crucial process in the working of the immune system

Ghent, 15 May – For our immune system to initiate a response to an infection, cells called dendritic cells have to present antigens to T cells. This shows the T cells where to focus their efforts and helps clear the infection. In normal conditions, however, dendritic cells shouldn't activate the immune system or else autoimmune conditions arise. New work by the teams of profs. Yvan Saeys, Kodi Ravichandran, Bart Lambrecht, and Sophie Janssens (VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research) reveals how dendritic cells mature without causing an immune response. Their work appears in Science Immunology and has ramifications for the treatment of various autoimmune disorders.

New mouse model bridges 10-20 years of development of DCIS into breast cancer within one year

Precursor of breast cancer or not?

An international team of researchers led by the Netherlands Cancer Institute and in collaboration with Colinda Scheele (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology) developed a method to better predict the outgrowth of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS), a possible precursor of breast cancer, into invasive breast cancer. Using mice into which cells from women with DCIS were inserted, researchers can better identify which DCIS patients are at risk for breast cancer.

Vaccine consortium Baxerna doubles down on antimicrobial resistance

VIB and Ghent University develop new mRNA vaccines against bacterial infections

Targeting the aging brain’s immune system might restore its cognitive function

The key to a healthy aging brain

Leuven, 5 April – As people age, they often experience problems with their memory and cognitive abilities. This happens in part because their brains become mildly inflamed. But there may be a solution: a small group of special immune cells, called regulatory T cells, could help reduce this inflammation in aging brains. Administering a protein, interleukin-2 (IL2), can help these special T cells grow and prevent inflammation. Now, researchers at VIB, KU Leuven, Babraham Institute, and i3S have tested this approach in mice and found that it can prevent neurological decline. Their findings suggest that targeting the immune system might keep people’s brains healthy as they age.

New research discovers how plant hormones called brassinosteroids affect gene expression and plant growth

Hormones and plant growth

Hormones play an important role in the development of plants. Scientists have long known that networks of genes control cell development, but it has been difficult to untangle the complex relationships between hormones, cell identity, and developmental stage. Now, the team of Eugenia Russinova (VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology), together with international colleagues from Philip Benfey’s lab at Duke University (US), Iowa State University (US), University of British Columbia (Canada), and Humboldt Universitat zu Berlin (Germany), made great strides in understanding the relationship between plant hormones and gene regulatory networks. Their work appears in Science.

Research reveals how leptin and its receptor work together to regulate hunger signals

Decoding the satiety signal

The protein hormone leptin signals our brains that we are full and can stop eating. To send that signal, leptin has to bind to a receptor on the cells that need to receive the message. Researchers at the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, collaborating with colleagues at Osnabruck University (Germany) and the Belgian biotechnology company PUXANO, have now revealed how leptin and its receptor work together. Their arresting research results appear in the leading scientific journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology and may spark new approaches in treating obesity, a major metabolic condition worldwide.