Health - May 30
Currently, only a meagre 1% of the vaccines needed for Africa are produced locally. The ambition is to raise this number to 60% by 2040. Together, KU Leuven and the Institut Pasteur of Dakar are working to overcome several significant challenges, including the need for continuous cooling, time-consuming methods for certain blood analyses in clinical studies, and the lack of vaccines against several deadly tropical diseases.
Health - May 22
Because of the large number of different cell types in brain tumors, all of which respond differently to treatment, many patients relapse, and the chances of full recovery are very slim. A new diagnostic test, developed by KU Leuven, indicates from a biopsy whether a treatment can attack all the tumor cells present.
Health - May 4
Researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland, have developed a highly efficient method for rapid testing the sensitivity of bacteria to antibiotics. The technique, optical nanomotion detection (ONMD), is extremely fast, precise to a single cell and requires only a traditional microscope equipped with a camera or a mobile phone. "Our technique is not only faster but also simpler and much cheaper than all other existing techniques," says VUB professor Ronnie Willaert.
Innovation - May 19
The University of Luxembourg together with Bradford Deep Space Industry have recently started a partnership collaboration to build an efficient and reliable numerical model for water-based propulsion of microsatellites.
Health - Apr 13
Immunotherapy is a powerful way to treat cancer patients but up till now, it was hard to predict why some patients or cancer types do not benefit from this treatment. Researchers could identify markers which predict a patient's or cancer type's response to immunotherapy. For some cancers, immunotherapy can be integrated into the standard treatment but for others, further research is needed to either alter the immunological environment with cancer vaccines or to develop a new type of immunotherapies that target the tumour in another manner.
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KU Leuven and the Institut Pasteur of Dakar join forces for local vaccine production in Africa
Currently, only a meagre 1% of the vaccines needed for Africa are produced locally. The ambition is to raise this number to 60% by 2040. Together, KU Leuven and the Institut Pasteur of Dakar are working to overcome several significant challenges, including the need for continuous cooling, time-consuming methods for certain blood analyses in clinical studies, and the lack of vaccines against several deadly tropical diseases.
Currently, only a meagre 1% of the vaccines needed for Africa are produced locally. The ambition is to raise this number to 60% by 2040. Together, KU Leuven and the Institut Pasteur of Dakar are working to overcome several significant challenges, including the need for continuous cooling, time-consuming methods for certain blood analyses in clinical studies, and the lack of vaccines against several deadly tropical diseases.
New test determines how best to treat brain tumor
Because of the large number of different cell types in brain tumors, all of which respond differently to treatment, many patients relapse, and the chances of full recovery are very slim. A new diagnostic test, developed by KU Leuven, indicates from a biopsy whether a treatment can attack all the tumor cells present.
Because of the large number of different cell types in brain tumors, all of which respond differently to treatment, many patients relapse, and the chances of full recovery are very slim. A new diagnostic test, developed by KU Leuven, indicates from a biopsy whether a treatment can attack all the tumor cells present.
Investigating water-based propulsion of microsatellites
The University of Luxembourg together with Bradford Deep Space Industry have recently started a partnership collaboration to build an efficient and reliable numerical model for water-based propulsion of microsatellites. Sustainability in space Back in the spotlight, the space market is in a great expansion and stretching the limits every day.
The University of Luxembourg together with Bradford Deep Space Industry have recently started a partnership collaboration to build an efficient and reliable numerical model for water-based propulsion of microsatellites. Sustainability in space Back in the spotlight, the space market is in a great expansion and stretching the limits every day.
Researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland, have developed a highly efficient method for rapid testing the sensitivity of bacteria to antibiotics. The technique, optical nanomotion detection (ONMD), is extremely fast, precise to a single cell and requires only a traditional microscope equipped with a camera or a mobile phone.
Biomarkers to predict how cancer patients respond to immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a powerful way to treat cancer patients but up till now, it was hard to predict why some patients or cancer types do not benefit from this treatment. Researchers could identify markers which predict a patient's or cancer type's response to immunotherapy. For some cancers, immunotherapy can be integrated into the standard treatment but for others, further research is needed to either alter the immunological environment with cancer vaccines or to develop a new type of immunotherapies that target the tumour in another manner.
Immunotherapy is a powerful way to treat cancer patients but up till now, it was hard to predict why some patients or cancer types do not benefit from this treatment. Researchers could identify markers which predict a patient's or cancer type's response to immunotherapy. For some cancers, immunotherapy can be integrated into the standard treatment but for others, further research is needed to either alter the immunological environment with cancer vaccines or to develop a new type of immunotherapies that target the tumour in another manner.
Researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel suspect there is a link between stuttering and the quality and quantity of sleep in children aged four to 13. Previous research has shown that sleep problems can cause drowsiness, fatigue attention disorders, anxiety and depression symptoms and, the VUB researchers believe, the intensity of stutters.
VUB PhD research: early microbial ancestor of humans loved extremes and can teach us about origin of life on Earth
Archaea, representing a group of primordial microbes which were recently found to be very related to humans, often grow best in extreme environments. While many bacteria (which are standing very far from us from a evolutionary point of view) can withstand only small fluctuations in temperature and acidity, Archaea are true survival champions.
Archaea, representing a group of primordial microbes which were recently found to be very related to humans, often grow best in extreme environments. While many bacteria (which are standing very far from us from a evolutionary point of view) can withstand only small fluctuations in temperature and acidity, Archaea are true survival champions.
How genes, brain characteristics and intelligence are connected
Genes influence different structures and the function of the brain. These in turn explain differences in behaviour. Analysing all three aspects at once is a challenge - and has been achieved for the first time. Intelligence is partly heritable. There are studies that show that certain genetic variations are linked to better performance in intelligence tests.
Genes influence different structures and the function of the brain. These in turn explain differences in behaviour. Analysing all three aspects at once is a challenge - and has been achieved for the first time. Intelligence is partly heritable. There are studies that show that certain genetic variations are linked to better performance in intelligence tests.
David Tewodrose and Harry Zekollari are two of 13 researchers to receive a prestigious Odysseus grant, a start-up fund from the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO). They will be based at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel for the next five years to develop their research practice. Tewodrose focuses on geometric analysis that is used in medical applications, among other uses.
The perception of pain is a crucial signal that allows us to protect our body integrity. On the other hand, when a pain persists over time, the brain must learn to predict its evolution in order to limit the risk of injury. A team of scientists from the Institute of Neuroscience of the UCLouvain (IoNS), Prof. André Mouraux and Dounia Mulders , FNRS research fellow, together with their colleagues Ben Seymour (University of Oxford, UK) and Flavia Mancini (University of Cambridge, UK) are trying to understand these prediction mechanisms.
Researchers aim for first in-depth study of historic and prehistoric terrace building
We all know the images of Southeast Asia's vast rice fields neatly terraced against the hills. In Europe too, there used to be terraces, mostly bordered by hedges, which have been overtaken as agricultural practices have been scaled up. Archaeologists and geomorphologists from VUB and KU Leuven are now studying the typology of those terraces.
We all know the images of Southeast Asia's vast rice fields neatly terraced against the hills. In Europe too, there used to be terraces, mostly bordered by hedges, which have been overtaken as agricultural practices have been scaled up. Archaeologists and geomorphologists from VUB and KU Leuven are now studying the typology of those terraces.
VUB researchers have drawn up four possible scenarios for everyday mobility in Brussels in 2050. The Remobilise project is being carried out by the Mobilise research group and is funded by Innoviris, the Brussels agency for technology and innovation. "The future doesn't always develop as we expect," says Sara Tori, PhD researcher at Mobilise and one of the authors of the Remobilise project.
Shifts in human gut microbiome due to COVID-19
COVID-19, caused by an infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in March 2020. While some people developed severe illness and required medical care, many people reported only mild-to-moderate symptoms, if any at all. However, many of the infected individuals have experienced persisting symptoms or frequent other infections months after the initial infection even if they weren-t much impacted by the disease to begin with.
COVID-19, caused by an infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in March 2020. While some people developed severe illness and required medical care, many people reported only mild-to-moderate symptoms, if any at all. However, many of the infected individuals have experienced persisting symptoms or frequent other infections months after the initial infection even if they weren-t much impacted by the disease to begin with.
In Central and South America live two different species of butterflies with identically the same pattern on their wings. Eleven million years ago, the two species each went their separate evolutionary paths, eventually arriving at the same solution to deter their natural enemies: a color pattern on their wings that to birds is equivalent to "I'm not a tasty morsel.
It is fascinating to see a streak of light across the sky, and never more so than those times of the year when the meteors fall to earth in such a multitude that they look like sparkling rain. The Geminid shower is such an event. Our researchers observed such -shooting stars- falling from the sky at their peak in mid-December thanks to cameras newly installed on top of one of the university buildings.
In a few weeks, Belgian researchers, led by Professor Bruno Danis (Laboratory of Marine Biology, Faculty of Science, ULB), will set sail for Antarctica. Their objective is to contribute to our understanding of the responses of ecosystems to the environmental changes underway in the Southern Ocean. Originality: the mission will take place on..
New algorithm enables simulation of complex quantum systems
An international team of scientists from the University of Luxembourg, Berlin Institute for the Foundations of Learning and Data (BIFOLD) at TU Berlin and Google has now successfully developed a machine learning algorithm to tackle large and complex quantum systems. The article has been published in the renowned journal Science Advances.
An international team of scientists from the University of Luxembourg, Berlin Institute for the Foundations of Learning and Data (BIFOLD) at TU Berlin and Google has now successfully developed a machine learning algorithm to tackle large and complex quantum systems. The article has been published in the renowned journal Science Advances.
Tourists with Moroccan names are more likely to be refused a reservation Tourists with Moroccan-sounding names experience structural discrimination on Airbnb. This is the result uncovered by a new study conducted by Professor Pieter-Paul Verhaeghe and his team at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. For their research, the sociologists conducted 1,043 mail tests on Airbnb during the summer of 2021.
A new approach for solving the dark energy mystery
What is behind dark energy - and what connects it to the cosmological constant introduced by Albert Einstein? Two physicists from the University of Luxembourg point the way to answering these open questions of physics. The universe has a number of bizarre properties that are difficult to understand with everyday experience.
What is behind dark energy - and what connects it to the cosmological constant introduced by Albert Einstein? Two physicists from the University of Luxembourg point the way to answering these open questions of physics. The universe has a number of bizarre properties that are difficult to understand with everyday experience.
Open Science for water research
For the launch of the new scientific journal Nature Water , researchers Emma and Stan Schymanski contributed an article about the future of water research. This opinion paper focuses on the importance of open science in a field where, due to its global societal relevance, knowledge and research results should be freely accessible by a wide range of stakeholders.
For the launch of the new scientific journal Nature Water , researchers Emma and Stan Schymanski contributed an article about the future of water research. This opinion paper focuses on the importance of open science in a field where, due to its global societal relevance, knowledge and research results should be freely accessible by a wide range of stakeholders.
