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...

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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A brown ale or hoppy lager? Even fruit flies have a preference.

And that’s good news for farmers.

Leuven, 15/10/2024 – It’s no secret fruit flies are attracted to beer. Setting aside a glass of beer is a common practice to lure pesky insects away from a summer barbeque. Research by Belgian and German scientists now shows that not all fruit fly species like the same beers. This discovery could lead to the development of better strategies to control harmful insects in agriculture.

New methodologies in unravelling complex disease-microbiome associations

Microbiome researchers challenge the state of the art in colon cancer biomarker discovery. 

Leuven (Belgium) 30/04/2024 - For the first time, researchers from VIB-KU Leuven, UZ Leuven, Janssen Pharmaceutica and multiple international collaborators have introduced quantitative methods and extensive confounder control to discover microbiome biomarkers in colorectal cancer development. While multiple microbial taxa have been put forward as potential cancer-associated biomarkers in the past, this new study uncovers obscured contributions that may have resulted in incorrect associations. The results have been published in Nature Medicine.

Revolutionizing the beverage industry and making better beer

AI predicts the taste and quality of beer

Leuven (Belgium) 26 March 2024 - Belgian scientists have developed AI models that can predict how a particular beer will be rated by consumers, and what aroma compounds brewers can add to improve it. The research was published today in the renowned scientific journal Nature Communications and may revolutionize how the food and beverage industry develops new products.

Leuven/Ghent, 08 Febuary 2024 – Belgian researchers from VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology and VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology have developed a new toolbox of 16 different short DNA sequences that allow triggering controlled and specific recombination events in any genome. This new patented toolbox, complementing – and for certain applications surpassing – CRISPR, is now available for researchers and industry in the field of genome engineering. The results are reported today in two concurrent papers in the prestigious journal Nature Communications.

A new toolbox allows engineering genomes without CRISPR

Leuven/Ghent, 08 Febuary 2024 – Belgian researchers from VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology and VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology...

Two new yeast strains on the market for brewing non-alcoholic beers

Belgian expertise helps Danish company revolutionize non-alcoholic brewing

Leuven 14 November 2023 — Chr. Hansen - a Danish multinational producing microbes for sustainable agriculture, better food and healthier living – will bring two new yeast strains on the market for brewing non-alcoholic beers. To find the best performing yeasts, the company contacted Kevin Verstrepen, director of the KU Leuven Beer Institute and head of VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology. With the help of Belgian yeast expertise, Chr. Hansen aims to set a higher bar for qualitative, traditional, and tasty non-alcoholic beer that will allow also smaller breweries to produce zero-alcohol beer in a sustainable, environment-friendly manner.

Leuven/Brussels 19 October 2023 – Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory and degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms differ vastly between patients and frequently worsen over time. The course of the disease is largely unpredictable. Researchers of the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel have now discovered a link between the gut microbiome and clinical disability worsening in MS. This could turn our microbiome into a potential biomarker to predict the course of MS. The results were published in Gut Microbes.

Belgian researchers demonstrate that the gut microbiome can help predict the course of multiple sclerosis

Leuven/Brussels 19 October 2023 – Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory and degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms...

Genes in the DNA of Pseudomonas bacteria are responsible for oximidine production

Leuven researchers discover potential anti-cancer agents in diseased fish 

12 October 2023 – A research team led by prof. Joleen Masschelein from the VIB – KU Leuven Center for Microbiology and the Department of Biology at KU Leuven, has discovered new potential anti-cancer agents. These substances are produced by Pseudomonas baetica, a bacterium that was isolated from the liver of a diseased flatfish. The results have been published in the prestigious journal Angewandte Chemie.

Research illuminates profound influence of genetics on treatment response, the direct link between type 2 diabetes and reduction in lung function, and the pivotal role of the gastrointestinal tract in regulating blood sugar levels

Triple discovery unveils insights into type 2 diabetes

Surrey, 28 September - A research team led by Prof. Inga Prokopenko (the University of Surrey) and Dr. Vasiliki Lagou (VIB-KU Leuven) unveiled three significant discoveries about type 2 diabetes. This research has illuminated the profound influence of genetics on treatment response, uncovered the direct link between type 2 diabetes and reduction in lung function, and unraveled the pivotal role of the gastrointestinal tract in regulating blood sugar levels. The study’s findings have significant implications, ranging from personalized diabetes care to early detection of lung complications. Published in Nature Genetics, this extensive research engaged nearly half a million individuals from diverse backgrounds and harnessed the collective expertise of over a hundred scientists worldwide.

Collaboration to meet global needs of bioethanol industry

VIB and AB Biotek join forces to develop superior yeast strains for bioethanol production

AB Biotek, a division of Associated British Foods, has partnered with VIB, Flanders’ leading life sciences research institute, on research collaboration and the development of core inputs within the global bioethanol industry.

Leuven, 19 January - Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to public health today, making the development of new antibiotics essential. Now, the group of Jan Michiels at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, in collaboration with Wim Versées and Wim Vranken of the VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology, used a novel technique called deep mutational scanning to uncover protein properties in E. coli. This can guide the development of novel antibiotics. Their work was published in Nature Communications.

New technique to speed up development of antibiotics

Leuven, 19 January - Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to public health today, making the development of new antibiotics...

Lifestyle events and choices can have long-lasting effects on the gut microbiome

Long-term lifestyle effects on the microbiome

An international group of researchers, including the team of Prof. Jeroen Raes (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology), has shown that lifestyle might have long-lasting effects on the composition of the gut microbiome. Their work appears in the journal Nature Aging.

Targeting persister cells to combat antibiotic tolerant bacteria

Microbiology