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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Poking holes through membranes with atomic accuracy to build pocket-sized ‘molecule detectives’

Unlocking the power of nanopores

Brussels/Washington 19/07/2024 - Transmembrane β-barrel pores (TMBs) are extensively used for single-molecule DNA and RNA sequencing. They enable the miniaturization of a wide array of sensing and sequencing applications into portable USB-size devices and point-of-care technologies. A team of Belgian and American researchers has now described a general approach to design TMB pores from scratch with custom shapes and properties, opening up new opportunities for single-molecule analytics. Their results were published in Science.

SlyB protein acts as a lifebuoy and protects bacteria from dying

Belgian researchers find a crack in the wall of WHO’s top priority pathogens 

Brussels 14 December 2023 - In a breakthrough discovery, scientists from VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology unraveled the mysteries of SlyB, a tiny but mighty protein found in the outer membrane of certain bacteria. When bacteria face stress, SlyB acts as a crucial guardian to protect the bacterial cell from dying. This discovery not only deepens our understanding of bacterial survival mechanisms but also paves the way for potential applications in antimicrobial research. The findings are published in Nature.

New microfluidic device improves the time resolution of trEM almost tenfold. 

VIB research tackles the bottleneck of time-resolved Cryo-EM 

Brussels, 18 August 2023 – Time-resolved cryo-electron microscopy (trEM) is a method to visualize how proteins function in time at near-atomic resolution. Although this method was pioneered in 1990, the potential of this technique has remained elusive because of two bottlenecks. One is the excessive consumption of proteins, and the other is that the time resolution is too low. Researchers from the lab of Prof. Rouslan Efremov of the VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology developed a microfluidic device that tackles both issues. Their results were published in Nature Methods.

Research reveals how leptin and its receptor work together to regulate hunger signals

Decoding the satiety signal

The protein hormone leptin signals our brains that we are full and can stop eating. To send that signal, leptin has to bind to a receptor on the cells that need to receive the message. Researchers at the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, collaborating with colleagues at Osnabruck University (Germany) and the Belgian biotechnology company PUXANO, have now revealed how leptin and its receptor work together. Their arresting research results appear in the leading scientific journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology and may spark new approaches in treating obesity, a major metabolic condition worldwide.

Steyaert is the first Belgian scientist to receive the prestigious American award for outstanding science with a translational character

Jan Steyaert receives prestigious Gabbay Award for pioneering work on Nanobody® technology

Jan Steyaert, director of the VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology and professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), is the first Belgian scientist to receive the Jacob and Louise Gabbay Award. Steyaert was nominated for the award thanks to his contributions to structural biology through the development of Camelid single-domain antibodies or so-called Nanobodies. The discovery of these small antibodies has led to important breakthroughs in medicine and agriculture, with practical applications already on the market today.

Nanobodies® to target Parkinson's disease

Structural Biology

Unlocking the power of nanopores

Belgian researchers find a crack in the wall of WHO’s top priority pathogens

VIB research tackles the bottleneck of time-resolved Cryo-EM

Decoding the satiety signal

Jan Steyaert receives prestigious Gabbay Award for pioneering work on Nanobody® technology

Will llama antibodies help to treat Parkinson's disease?

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