Researchers identify major genetic risk factor for rare form of dementia
Antwerp, 12 March 2026 - Researchers at VIB and Antwerp University have identified a major genetic risk factor for a rare form of frontotemporal dementia. The discovery, published today in Nature Genetics, provides a biological entry point for a disease subtype that has been difficult to study. It could not only help to improve diagnosis and patient stratification, but also opens up new avenues toward targeted treatments.
Latest stories
Brain immune cells may help build Alzheimer’s plaques
A new study led by researchers from VIB and KU Leuven shows that immune cells called microglia can actively promote the formation of plaques in Alzheimer’s disease, challenging the long-standing view that these cells serve only as defenders against plaque buildup. The findings were recently published in PNAS.
Rainbow Crops Awarded $7 Million Grant to Advance Climate-Resilient Crops
Ghent, Belgium - 4 March 2026 - Rainbow Crops, a next-generation agtech company developing crop genetics with enhanced complex agronomic traits, has been awarded a $7 million grant from the Gates Foundation. The funding will support the application of Rainbow Crops’ Trait Foundry™ platform to advance new genetic approaches for improving crop performance under heat and drought stress to meet the needs of smallholder farmers.
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Belgian researchers develop AI tool to improve diagnosis of rare immune disorders
Researchers from VIB and Ghent University, in close collaboration with clinicians at Ghent University Hospital, have developed PIDgeon, an explainable artificial intelligence pipeline that supports faster and more reliable diagnosis of primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs). The tool was successfully validated in nearly 1.000 patients across multiple European centers, marking an important step toward future clinical application. The study is published in Clinical Chemistry.
Scientists discover new gatekeeper cell in the brain
Ghent, 12 February 2026 – VIB and Ghent University researchers have identified and characterized a previously unknown cellular barrier in the brain, which sheds new light on how the brain is protected from the rest of the body. In a study published in Nature Neuroscience, the scientists also reveal a new pathway by which the immune system can impact the brain.
Researchers develop more reliable platform to test antibody medicines
Ghent, 30 January 2026 – An international research consortium has validated a new platform that could change how antibody medicines are tested and brought to patients. The work, published in Science Immunology, highlights problems during conventional antibody drug testing and introduces a next-generation mouse model that makes it possible to predict the effects of antibody drugs in humans more accurately.
Researchers uncover axonal protein synthesis defect in ALS
Leuven, January 12, 2026 – Researchers at VIB and KU Leuven have identified a molecular process that allows motor neurons to maintain protein production, a process that fails in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, reveals an early weakness in neurodegeneration and highlights a potential target for future therapies.
Key lung immune cells can intensify allergic reactions
New research by scientists at VIB and UGent reveals that immune cells in the lung, long thought to protect against inflammation, can, under certain conditions, make allergic reactions such as asthma worse. Their work appears in the journal Immunity.
RSV vaccines could offer protection against asthma
Ghent, November 28, 2025 – Belgian scientists from VIB and Ghent University (UGent), together with Danish collaborators, have uncovered compelling evidence that early-infancy infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) significantly increases the risk of developing childhood asthma—especially in children with a family history of allergy or asthma. Their study, published today in Science Immunology, suggests that protecting newborns against RSV could substantially reduce asthma cases later in life.
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