VIB is an independent research institute that translates insights in biology into impactful innovations for society. Collaborating with the five Flemish universities, it conducts research in plant biology, cancer, neuroscience, microbiology, inflammatory diseases, artificial intelligence and more. VIB connects science with entrepreneurship and stimulates the growth of the Flemish biotech ecosystem. The institute contributes to solutions for societal challenges such as new methods for diagnostics and treatments, as well as innovations for agriculture. Learn more at www.vib.be.

VIB is an independent research institute that translates insights in biology into impactful innovations for society. Collaborating with the five...

What causes cancer and how can we find better ways to treat it?

VIB is een onafhankelijk onderzoeksinstituut dat inzichten in de biologie vertaalt naar impactvolle innovaties voor de samenleving. Het werkt samen met de vijf Vlaamse universiteiten en diverse partners in de biotechsector en doet onderzoek in plantenbiologie, kanker, neurowetenschap, microbiologie, ontstekingsziekten, artificiële intelligentie en meer. VIB verbindt wetenschap met ondernemerschap en stimuleert zo de groei van de Vlaamse biotech. Het instituut draagt bij aan oplossingen voor maatschappelijke uitdagingen, zoals nieuwe methoden voor diagnose en behandeling en landbouwinnovaties. Meer info op www.vib.be. 

VIB is een onafhankelijk onderzoeksinstituut dat inzichten in de biologie vertaalt naar impactvolle innovaties voor de samenleving. Het werkt...

Joran Lauwers

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Certain E. coli bacteria in the gut promote colon cancer by binding to intestinal cells and releasing a DNA-damaging toxin

Scientists discover how specific E. coli bacteria drive colon cancer 

Ghent, 7 November 2024 – Scientists have uncovered how certain E. coli bacteria in the gut promote colon cancer by binding to intestinal cells and releasing a DNA-damaging toxin. The study, published in Nature, sheds light on a new approach to potentially reduce cancer risk. The study was performed by the teams of Prof. Lars Vereecke (VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research) and Prof. Han Remaut (VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology).

Leuven/Amsterdam/Cambridge, 5 September– A team of researchers at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology, the Netherlands Cancer Institute and Oncode Institute and the University of Cambridge have discovered that a defensive mechanism connected to the menstrual cycle plays a role in spreading mutant cells within mammary tissue. A new study published in Nature describes how the growth and subsequent removal of extra milk ducts in breast tissue during the menstrual cycle can contribute to the spread of mutant cells leading to large mutant fields prone to develop tumors.

Menstrual cycle influences the spread of mutant cells in mammary tissue  

Leuven/Amsterdam/Cambridge, 5 September– A team of researchers at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology, the Netherlands Cancer Institute...

The CDA gene is among the top upregulated metabolic genes in immunotherapy-resistant tumors

Researchers identify a key metabolic gene as target for improved cancer immunotherapy

Leuven, 06 June 2024 – Researchers at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology have identified a potential target for cancer immunotherapy. The team, led by Professor Massimiliano Mazzone found that the CDA gene is among the top upregulated metabolic genes in immunotherapy-resistant tumors. Inhibiting this gene through pharmacologic or genetic intervention led to better T-cell infiltration, increasing effectiveness of immunotherapy in a type of pancreatic cancer called PDAC. The results of the study have been published in Nature Cancer.

Targeting mesenchymal-like melanoma cells could instigate immunotherapy response

Researchers map cell composition of metastatic melanoma and identify cause of immunotherapy resistance

Leuven, 9 January 2023 – A group of researchers, led by Professor Jean-Christophe Marine at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology, and Medical Oncologist Professor Oliver Bechter from UZ Leuven developed a potential new strategy to enable immunotherapy in melanoma patients who currently do not respond to it properly. Using advanced single-cell technologies, they found a specific group of cancer cells that confers resistance to immunotherapy. The team then created a treatment strategy to get rid of these cells, significantly boosting the effectiveness of immunotherapy in preclinical models. The findings of this research have just been published in Cell.

Researchers discover that disabling autophagy in Tumor Endothelial Cells, inflames them and leads to a better immune response

Disabling autophagy can enhance immune response in melanoma 

28 November 2023 – Researchers at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology have gained unprecedented insights into the immunosuppressive role of autophagy in tumor endothelial cells (TEC). The team, led by Professor Patrizia Agostinis, found that inhibiting autophagy in the endothelial cells lining tumor blood vessels can inflame them and evoke an antitumor immune response. This could provide an additional strategy to help sensitize patients to immunotherapy. The results of this research were published in the prestigious scientific journal EMBO Molecular Medicine

Fucosylation – the addition of a fucose sugar to a molecule – has been identified as the driving force behind unbalanced Treg behavior in tumor microenvironment

Researchers discover cause of immunosuppressive behavior of regulatory T cells in cancer

Leuven, 13 November 2023 — A research team led by Professor Massimiliano Mazzone at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology discovered a biological process responsible for unbalancing regulatory T cells (Tregs) in cancer. A research paper published in Cancer Immunology Research, details how the researchers found a metabolic switch that turns down the immune response of T cells against cancer cells, leading to a worse prognosis. The team also succeeded in preventing this process, increasing the effectiveness of the patient’s own immune system against cancer cells.

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.

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.

TRAIL proteins function as gatekeepers for vascular barrier integrity and blocks entry of cancer cells to metastatic sites

Reinforcing endothelial TRAIL protects against cancer metastasis

Leuven, 23 March 2023 – Researchers from the lab of Prof. Max Mazzone (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology) have discovered that the family of TRAIL proteins in the endothelium plays a role in metastasis. Moreover, researchers demonstrated that counteracting TRAIL receptor DR5 in endothelial cells and promoting exogenous expression of TRAIL via mRNA technology can protect against breast cancer metastasis. The discovery is an important step toward the future development of new therapeutic approaches to prevent cancer metastasis.

Palmitate can initiate a series of signals in cancer cells that equip them to grow into metastases.

Fat creates an ideal environment for metastatic breast tumors

Ghent/Leuven, January 2023 – A research group led by Prof. Sarah-Maria Fendt and Dr. Patricia Altea-Manzano from the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology has uncovered that frequent metastatic sites, such as the lung and liver, are enriched in lipids. The building blocks of lipids, more specifically the fatty acid palmitate, can initiate a series of signals in cancer cells that equip them to grow into metastases. The availability of palmitate further increases with a high-fat diet. This discovery further illustrates the importance of diet for cancer progression.

Inhibiting the bicarbonate transporter SLC4A4 in pancreatic cancer cells promotes an immune reaction and supports immunotherapy effectiveness.

Targeting acidity: a new approach to tackle pancreatic cancer

A type of pancreatic cancer known as pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive and lethal cancers. So far, immunotherapy treatment doesn’t work. Research by the team of Prof. Massimiliano Mazzone (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology), KU Leuven, University Hospital Leuven, and international colleagues identified a new therapeutic target that overcomes immunosuppression and immunotherapy resistance in pancreatic cancer by changing the acidity of the tumor micro-environment. Their work appears in Nature Cancer.

Therapeutic induction of High-Endothelial Venules (HEV) can augment lymphocyte infiltration and contributes to tumor growth inhibition

VIB researchers identify a new way of supporting and sensitizing immunotherapy in cancer patients

Ghent/Leuven, 24 November 2022 – Using single-cell transcriptomics, endothelial fate mapping, and functional multiplex immune profiling, the research team led by Gabriele Bergers (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology) has discovered a way to increase lymphocyte infiltration in the tumor microenvironment. By inducing High-Endothelial Venules, the team spearheaded by graduate students Gerlanda Vella and Yichao Hua, was able to transform the protective barrier formed by the tumor vasculature and bypass its defenses against immune cells. The discovery is a big step forward in using novel strategies to increase patient responsiveness to immune therapy.

Cancer Biology