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...

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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New tools, including a deep learning model, predict the functionality of proteins, even in non-model organisms

Deep learning helps to find new targets in soy for crop improvement

Ghent, 3 August 2023 – Crop genetic diversity is a powerful tool to adapt crops to a changing climate. However, to select the best candidates in the plant breeding process, we must know and understand the complex biochemical networks underlying plant growth and development. To achieve this, researchers from the North Carolina State University (USA), the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology and ILVO (Belgium) have developed tools, including a deep learning model, that predict the functionality of proteins, even in non-model organisms. This represents a significant advance in systems biology and provides more reliable predictions on which locations to target in the genome. The work appears in Nature Communications.

The cell cycle inhibitor SIAMESE-RELATED1 (SMR1) plays a crucial role in how leaves adapt to the environment

VIB researchers uncover key genetic pathway in leaf development 

The surface of a leaf is composed of diverse cell types that are remarkably well-balanced and organized. The team of Prof. Lieven De Veylder (VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology) and colleagues from the University of Sheffield have made a significant breakthrough in understanding the development of leaf epidermis. The study, published in Nature Plants, could pave the way to more climate-resilient plants.

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.

VIB scientists develop ITER, a sensitive, versatile, and high-throughput method to test and quantify gene editing in plant cells

Building better base editors

CRISPR gene editing is a powerful biotechnology tool that allows scientists to alter specific DNA sequences. New research is constantly refining and improving CRISPR technology. Researchers from the team of Prof. Thomas Jacobs (VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology), together with BASF Innovation Center Gent and colleagues from the VIB screening Core and VIB Flow Core, now report an important advance in CRISPR base editing technology. Their work was funded by VLAIO and appears in Genome Biology.

Researchers at the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology developed a pipeline based on genome editing to accelerate gene discovery for breeding programs to improve agronomic traits in crops.

Just BREEDIT – bridging the gap between conventional breeding and molecular biology

Agriculture faces major challenges – reducing yield losses during extended periods of heat and drought, to name one. To sustain food production, we must adapt our crops to rapidly changing climate conditions. But conventional breeding programs are labor-intensive and time-consuming. Scientists at the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology and ILVO developed a fast gene discovery pipeline in maize to advance breeding programs for the benefit of humanity and the environment.

Researchers identified a mechanism to extend the fertile period of maize flowers, which could lead to increased yield in climate stress conditions.

Staying alive – delaying floral aging improves seed set in maize

To produce fruits and seeds, plants need to be fertilized in a narrow time frame during which the flower is receptive to viable pollen. In crops, excessive heat and drought stress can negatively impact fertilization causing a reduction in seed yield. Collaborative research between the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology and Corteva AgriscienceTM identified a key regulatory mechanism to prolong female fertility in maize. This knowledge may become an important asset to stabilizing seed production for maize, and potentially for other cereal crops growing in changing climate conditions caused by global warming.

Plant Biology