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A study involving virtual instead of real patients was as effective as traditional clinical trials in evaluating a medical device used to treat brain aneurysms, according to researchers from the University of Leeds and KU Leuven. Furthermore, the 'virtual' approach required far less time and money. A study involving virtual instead of real patients was as effective as traditional clinical trials in evaluating a medical device used to treat brain aneurysms, according to researchers from the University of Leeds and KU Leuven.

Successful pilot project to tackle discrimination 13 June is International Albinism Awareness Day One in 1,400 people in Tanzania has albinism. These people are often socially excluded, heavily discriminated against and sometimes even have to fear for their lives. Dr Tjitske de Groot of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel set up a pilot project for her doctoral research and investigated what actions and means could be used to reduce the stigma of albinism - as well as other stigma - and actively contributed to this on site.

In brief: A research team from University of Louvain (UCLouvain) has discovered a new bacterium in the human intestine.

Wednesday, May 19, 2021 — The annual World Hypertension Day on 17 May prompted the publication of a review article on hypertension that appears today in the leading journal The Lancet. In this article, Prof Sofie Brouwers, OLV Ziekenhuis Aalst and Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and her colleagues present the current state of affairs regarding arterial hypertension.

Researchers at KU Leuven have developed a 3D printing technique that extends the possibilities of lateral flow testing. With the new printing technique, advanced diagnostic tests can be produced that are quick, cheap, and easy to use. Researchers at KU Leuven have developed a 3D printing technique that extends the possibilities of lateral flow testing.

Monday, May 3, 2021 — During the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Belgium experienced significant excess mortality. The federal statistics office Statbel recorded 30,014 deaths between 9 March and 17 May 2020. That was 8,808 more than the average for the three previous years in the same weeks.

During the pollen season, many people with allergies tend to avoid nature. That isn't entirely justified, a new KU Leuven study into biodiversity and health suggests. During the pollen season, many people with allergies tend to avoid nature. That isn't entirely justified, a new KU Leuven study into biodiversity and health suggests.

Monday, April 26, 2021 — Within the academic world, international exchange students and researchers have been particularly affected by the pandemic. In an opinion article in the journal Ethnobiology and Conservation, Farid Dahdouh-Guebas of the Biology Department of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Ina Vandebroek of the New York Botanical Garden defend this group and propose some solutions.

Researchers evaluate relationship between pandemic and occupational health Wednesday, April 7, 2021 — Commissioned by the ETUI, the research institute of the European Trade Union Confederation, Damini Purkayastha, Christophe Vanroelen and their colleagues at VUB's Interface Demography research group examined the relationship between occupational health and the Covid-19 pandemic.

An interdisciplinary team led by KU Leuven and Stanford has identified 76 overlapping genetic locations that shape both our face and our brain. What the researchers didn't find is evidence that this genetic overlap also predicts someone's behavioural-cognitive traits or risk of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

Thursday, April 1, 2021 — An international team of experts has provided a breakthrough in the study of chronic pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients. "We discovered that hypersensitivity is often the cause for all kinds of chronic pain. Personalised treatment tailored to the patient offers the solution here,' says VUB professor Jo Nijs, who is in charge of the project.

Researchers at KU Leuven have succeeded for the first time in measuring brain waves directly via a cochlear implant. These brainwaves indicate in an objective way how good or bad a person's hearing is. The research results are important for the further development of smart hearing aids. A cochlear implant enables people with severe hearing loss to hear again.

Human glioblastoma tumors are aggressive hard-to-treat brain cancers that have a high unmet need for new treatment options. A team of researchers led by Prof. Kiavash Movahedi and Prof. Jo Van Ginderachter (VIB-VUB), in collaboration with colleagues from VIB, VUB, and KU Leuven, have mapped the immune landscape in these glioblastoma tumors.

What if heart specialists could simulate the fitting of a new heart valve in 4D before an operation? 4D CT scanners add the dimension of time to three-dimensional images and visualise the movement of the heart in detail.

A new study led by Belgian and Spanish researchers published in Scientific Reports adds evidence about the potential benefits of green tea extracts in Down syndrome. The researchers observed that the intake of green tea extracts can reduce facial dysmorphology in children with Down syndrome when taken during the first three years of life.

A method that instructs immune system cells to help repair damaged tissues in the intestine has been developed by researchers at KU Leuven and Seoul National University. This opens the way for more effective treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. The study was carried out on humans and mice.

Mobiel 21 and Netwerk Duurzame Mobiliteit (Network Sustainable Mobility), with researchers from the University of Ghent and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, have investigated the underlying factors of transport poverty.

KU Leuven researchers have identified the biological mechanism that explains why some people experience abdominal pain when they eat certain foods. The finding paves the way for more efficient treatment of irritable bowel syndrome and other food intolerances. Up to 20% of the world's population suffers from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which causes stomach pain or severe discomfort after eating.

Creating stem cells that can give rise to any cell type in the early embryo and its supporting structures, including the placenta: some call it 'the holy grail' of stem cell research. An international team of researchers offer new criteria to determine whether a mouse stem cell line has this much-wanted ability, known as totipotency.

From stars in another galaxy to a microscopic virus that has taken hold of the entire Earth: in this overview we present the most-read news items about research at KU Leuven in 2020. Bioscience engineers and economists from KU Leuven mapped out how wood could replace petroleum in the chemical industry.