news 2022

Regular exercise may protect pancreatic beta cells from stresses that contribute to diabetes. Researchers from the ULB Center for Diabete Research observed this in a study published in Diabetologia . Diabetes is characterized by a progressive loss of pancreatic beta cells, the same cells that produce insulin and thus maintain the right level of sugar in the blood.

A team led by Prof Kiavash Movahedi (VUB, VIB) has mapped in detail how the immune system acts against pathogens invading the brain. The findings shed new light on host-pathogen interactions and the long-term consequences of brain infections. The results, published in the renowned journal Immunity, show how different types of immune cells are involved in the defence against brain infections.

Researchers at KU Leuven have discovered a promising new method for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer. In such cases, conventional treatments involve the use of medication to suppress or inhibit the patient's male hormones in order to slow down the disease. After some time, however, the cancer cells become resistant to that medication.

Gamma delta (γδ) T cells are immune system cells that possess several characteristics that make them attractive cellular targets for cancer immunotherapy. A team of researchers sought to better understand the development of these T cells in humans. Gamma delta (γδ) T cells are of increasing interest as target cells for cancer immunotherapy.

When a tumor develops in an organism, it is very common for the cancer cells to leave the tumor and settle in another organ where they proliferate, creating what is called metastasis. This process is an important factor in mortality since it means the worsening of the disease. Hence the interest in better understanding what happens during this phenomenon.

In a large epidemiological study researchers from KU Leuven show that patients with an autoimmune disorder have a substantially higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than individuals without autoimmune disease. The research shows for the first time that cardiovascular risks affect autoimmune disorders as a group of diseases with implications across a broad range of cardiovascular outcomes.

In brief: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects over 10% of the world's population, including over one million people in Belgium. Genetic mutations are a major cause of CKD. Some mutations are very rare and have very severe effects on the kidney. Others are much and have barely detectable effects. For the first time, a UCLouvain team has discovered an intermediate-effect genetic mutation, present in about one in 1,000 people, that strongly increases the risk of CKD.

Ghent University research in Burkina Faso: fortified food supplements increase the chance of a healthier baby Every parent around the globe wishes for a healthy baby.

Successful and unsuccessful approaches to the pandemic by Western governments Tuesday, May 17, 2022 — Since 2020, the world has been experiencing the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. The cause is obviously a virus, but the degree of its spread, and the associated number of infections and deaths, is largely dependent on socio-economic factors.

Not every type of greenery in an urban environment has the same positive effect on people. One large tree with a robust crown has more impact than ten young trees. That is the conclusion of a large-scale study by KU Leuven that was published today in the influential journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

In brief: It's a very promising world first! Scientists at University of Louvain (UCLouvain) have managed to identify the key that allows the Covid virus to attack cells Better still, they have also managed to close the lock to block the virus and prevent its interaction with the cell, in other words, to prevent infection This discovery raises a huge hope : that of developing an antiviral, in the form of an aerosol , which would help to eradicat

Antibiotics are commonly used to treat infections and ensure the safety of surgical procedures. However, their overuse has led to the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria, resulting in an -arms race- whereby ever more potent drugs are becoming a necessity.

All-Luxembourg study helps to anticipate a personal COVID-19 health trajectory From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of published studies have focused on severe COVID-19 patients in order to understand the causes of critical illness. However, it is equally, if not more important to understand the protective immune factors in our body.

Researchers delve into the inner workings of the antibody immune response, finding key differences in the metabolism of two closely related immune cell subsets. Protection against viral diseases is a key role of our body's immune response, where antibodies are generated to seek out invading species and either neutralise or mark them for destruction.

Researchers from the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) at the University of Luxembourg, in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, investigated the different cell types present in the human midbrain to better understand their respective role in Parkinson's disease.

Couples unable to get pregnant naturally often resort to In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) to fulfil their desire to have children. To obtain mature eggs for IVF, women typically undergo ovarian stimulation with hormones which can be very burdensome. A team of scientists of the Follicle Biology (FOBI) Research Laboratory at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in collaboration with the UZ Brussel fertility clinic has succeeded in developing a novel method for In Vitro Maturation (IVM) of oocytes, called CAPA-IVM.

Researchers from the Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy research group at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel have shown that physical fatigue affects an athlete's brain when performing a functional balance test. The accuracy with which a representative group of recreational athletes responded to a novel reactive balance test was measured, alongside their response time.

VUB professor Ann Massie and her research group Neuro-Aging & Viro-Immunotherapy have published a surprising finding in an article in the leading journal Molecular Psychiatry. They have discovered a strategy that results in prolonged life expectancy and counteracts memory loss during the aging process.

VUB, Sciensano, Flanders and Brussels call on scientists to share expertise on alternative testing methods via RE-Place platform A few years ago, the Flemish and Brussels Regions launched RE-Place , a platform for researchers to share their expertise on alternatives to animal testing.

World Cancer Day, 4 February: Ex-cancer patients have to get used to life again Cancer patients who have survived serious treatment and are free of the disease often suffer an enormous psychological blow afterwards and find it difficult to pick up the thread of life again.