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, artifical 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...

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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The system has applications in the production of medicines, and edible and industrial proteins, offering a cheaper and qualitative alternative to existing commercial variants

Flemish researchers launch OPENPichia, an industrial open access yeast system for the production of proteins

Ghent, 05 March 2024 – A team of researchers at the VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology has succeeded in reconstructing one of the most important industrial expression systems for proteins in open access. Pichia pastoris, a yeast used in the biopharmaceutical industry is often used to produce molecular building blocks. Up until now, use of this technology was restricted by a paywall. Thanks to this research, a similar expression system can be offered at a much lower cost. Additionally, results of new research using this open access system can be shared more easily. The results of this research have been published in the Nature Microbiology.

Vaccine consortium Baxerna doubles down on antimicrobial resistance

VIB and Ghent University develop new mRNA vaccines against bacterial infections

Ghent, 25 April 2023 – VIB, Flanders’ leading life sciences institute, and UGent are leading a European Network that has secured a grant of more than 8 million euros to develop a new vaccine technology against bacterial infections. In a consortium called "Baxerna," VIB, UGent, Ghent University Hospital, VUB, ULB, the Pasteur Institute, the Radboud Medical Center and the Karolinska Institute, led by Profs. Lennart Martens and Francis Impens (VIB-Ghent University Center for Medical Biotechnology) will search for new antibacterial mRNA vaccines as a preventive tool in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. This will initially focus on pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium ulcerans and Acinetobacter baumannii. The first clinical studies will take place at Ghent University Hospital in collaboration with the Center for Vaccinology (CEVAC).

The development of a Listeria vaccine opens a route to producing mRNA vaccines against other bacterial infections.

mRNA vaccines against bacteria: Listeria shows the way

Ghent, 17 October – The bacterium Listeria monocytogenes can lead to listeriosis after eating contaminated food. In some people, listeriosis causes sepsis and meningitis. It is rare but lethal. Around 20 – 30% of infected people don’t survive. The team of Prof. Francis Impens (VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology), together with colleagues at Ghent University, Cancer Research Institute Ghent, and other researchers, takes an important step towards a Listeria vaccine. Combining innovative antigen discovery and mRNA vaccine technologies, the study paves the way to develop much-needed vaccines against other bacteria.

By harnessing the power of thousands of gamers, the team of Prof. Lennart Martens (VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology), with colleagues of Dhaenes lab of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Ghent University, intends to improve the analysis of mass spectrometry data drastically. In turn, this may advance disease diagnostics.

All in the game: VIB-UGent researchers enlist virtual space explorers to improve disease diagnostics

Most citizen science projects stand on their own. As a result, their bottleneck is often finding and engaging enough participants. But what if we could tap into an already established large audience? Say, gamers of a very popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG)?

Two VIB research teams join forces to look for biomarkers in blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples of people living with frontotemporal degeneration.

Digging for brain disease biomarkers with innovative proteomics

This brain disease causes dementia, usually at a relatively young age. Backed by 2 million USD in funding from the US Department of Defense, Rosa Rademakers (VIB & University of Antwerp) and Kris Gevaert (VIB & Ghent University) plan to enrich low-abundance disease-related proteins using an innovative proteomic workflow.

Medical Biotechnology

Flemish researchers launch OPENPichia, an industrial open access yeast system for the production of proteins

VIB and Ghent University develop new mRNA vaccines against bacterial infections

mRNA vaccines against bacteria: Listeria shows the way

All in the game: VIB-UGent researchers enlist virtual space explorers to improve disease diagnostics

Digging for brain disease biomarkers with innovative proteomics

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