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Scientists from KU Leuven and UCLA reveal why male and female cells behave differently after being reprogrammed into stem cells. Using a patient's skin cells to restore his vision? Thanks to a promising technique known as cell reprogramming, this science fiction scenario may soon become reality. The technique allows scientists to make stem cells from, for instance, a patient's skin cells.

Approximately 4 million people worldwide currently suffer from Parkinson's disease, and this number is only expected to increase. The most frequent genetic causes of the illness are mutations in the gene responsible for controlling the production of protein LRRK2, which includes two enzymes: a kinase and a GTPase.

The new technique was developed by Professor Tom Francart and his colleagues from the Department of Neurosciences at KU Leuven in collaboration with the University of Maryland. It will allow for a more accurate diagnosis of patients who cannot actively participate in a speech understanding test because they're too young, for instance, or because they're in a coma.

Researchers from KU Leuven and the universities of Pittsburgh, Stanford, and Penn State (US) have identified fifteen genes that determine our facial features. The findings were published. Our DNA determines what we look like, including our facial features. That appeals to the popular imagination, as the potential applications are obvious.

Bone cells do not just form new bone, they also influence the blood sugar level. Leuven scientists have now discovered a new mechanism that controls this link. The metabolism of bone cells determines how much sugar they use; if the bone cells consume more sugar than normal, this can lower the glucose level in the blood.

Vrije Universiteit Brussel launches a new study into the influence of stress and burnout on the quality of our relationships and sexual experiences. "The pressure on our personal lives nowadays is so significant that inevitably has consequences on our sexual wellbeing. Recent studies have shown that our sexual activity has diminished to 2-3 times per month," researcher and sexologist Bert Van Puyenbroeck of Vrije Universiteit Brussel explains.

The findings are an important next step in understanding the relationship between the two inflammatory diseases and to developing effective therapies. Scientists from VIB-UGent have discovered insights for a possible new therapy for eczema that also reduces the severity of asthma. The findings are an important next step in understanding the relationship between the two inflammatory diseases and to developing effective therapies.

KU Leuven scientists present a new way to generate oligodendrocytes, building blocks of the brain that play a crucial role in neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis and ALS. The method makes it much easier to study these cells and explore their therapeutic potential. KU Leuven scientists present a new way to generate oligodendrocytes, building blocks of the brain that play a crucial role in neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis and ALS.

KU Leuven scientists present a new way to generate oligodendrocytes, building blocks of the brain that play a crucial role in neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis and ALS. The method makes it much easier to study these cells and explore their therapeutic potential. All stem cells are immature, and pluripotent stem cells are the most immature among them: they can give rise to all different cell types of the body.

Surgical robots, Wi-Fi security flaws, and everything you always wanted to know about Tinder but were afraid to ask: here are the 10 most-read science stories of 2017! Surgical robots, Wi-Fi security flaws, and everything you always wanted to know about Tinder but were afraid to ask: here are the 10 most-read science stories of 2017! 1.

Surgical robots, Wi-Fi security flaws, and everything you always wanted to know about Tinder but were afraid to ask: here are the 10 most-read science stories of 2017! 1. World first: surgical robot performs precision-injection in patient with retinal vein occlusion Eye surgeons at University Hospitals Leuven have been the first to use a surgical robotto operate on a patient with retinal vein occlusion.

In 2016, one in four civilians killed in the Syrian conflict was a child. A team of researchers at the UCL Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters analyzed data about more than 140,000 violent deaths between 2011 and 2016 in areas not controlled by the Bashar al-Assad regime. Their findings were published today, 6 December 2017 , in The Lancet Global Health journal.

Researchers from UHasselt and KU Leuven have developed a brand-new method to detect soot particles in the human body. Recent research has shown that, each year, over 4.2 million individuals around the world die prematurely due to air pollution. "This type of pollution can lead to a lower weight at birth, decreased cognitive functions in children, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases, among other things," says Professor Tim Nawrot (UHasselt).

Researchers from KU Leuven and the Francis Crick Institute have pinpointed 27 novel genes thought to prevent cancer from forming. Their findings could help develop personalised cancer treatments that target these genes. "Our cells have two copies of tumour suppressor genes that, when lost in mutated cells, cause cancer," says Jonas Demeulemeester.

When bacteria enter our body, they kick-start a powerful immune response. But this chain of reactions doesn't fully account for our immediate responses. KU Leuven researchers show that so-called ion channels play a key role as 'first responders'. When we get a bacterial lung infection, the cells lining our airways are the first line of defence.

"How many different cell types are there in the human body? And how do these differences develop? Nobody really knows," says Professor Stein Aerts from KU Leuven/VIB. But thanks to a new method developed by his team, that may be about to change. "How many different cell types are there in the human body? And how do these differences develop? Nobody really knows," says Professor Stein Aerts from KU Leuven/VIB.

In the days following abdominal surgery, patients' intestinal contents pass more slowly or not at all. New research at KU Leuven has now shown that this phenomenon - known as post-operative ileus or bowel paralysis - is not caused by the cells previously identified as the main players. Quite the opposite, in fact: the cells even help restore bowel function.

University of Louvain discovers a protein capable of preventing diabetes and obesity Patrice Cani , a WELBIO researcher at the Louvain Drug Research Institute of the University of Louvain (UCL, Belgium), and his team in cooperation with Willem de Vos, professor at the University of Wageningen (WU), have just made two major advances in the fight against obesity and type 2 diabetes.