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VIB Blog

On our blog, you can find content curated by the VIB community. Discover our research through the eyes of our scientists.Want to be kept...

Get to know the researchers driving cutting-edge research at VIB and delve into the latest advancements in life sciences.

VIB Blog: Insights and innovations in life sciences research

Op onze blog vindt u inhoud samengesteld door de VIB-gemeenschap. Ontdek ons onderzoek door de ogen van onze wetenschappers.

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The modern life sciences are driven by collaboration. As researchers unravel more and more of life’s mysteries, they increasingly depend on each other’s expertise to find answers. The advent of new technologies has the same networking effect...

Building community in life sciences research

A conversation with co-affiliated group leaders at the VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology 

Building community

The modern life sciences are driven by collaboration. As researchers unravel more and more of life’s mysteries, they increasingly depend on each other’s expertise to find answers. The advent of new technologies has the same networking effect, and machine learning is a prime example of this – AI has applications across levels of biological organization, from genes, over tissues, to organisms and populations. VIB’s Center for AI & Computational Biology (VIB.AI) uses the latest computational and AI strategies to address biological questions and challenges that span different disciplines. As a result, the center has built a community of VIB PIs from other VIB research centers, which pioneers a way of working that embodies science’s increasing emphasis on collaboration and interdisciplinarity. But what does such a co-affiliation mean for their work?

Discover how research at VIB is aiding the plant-based industry by modifying plant cell walls to enhance biomass processing.

Engineering cell walls for a sustainable plant-based future

-written by Lennart Hoengenaert, a postdoctoral researcher at the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology

Explore VIB’s state-of-the-art single-cell neuroscience research, where we uncover the complex brain structure, study the aging brain, and understand brain disorders - all to find solutions for some of humanity's most pressing medical challenges.

Advancements in single-cell neuroscience at VIB

Exploring the advancements in single-cell neuroscience at VIB

Revealing the brain’s secrets, one cell at a time

The human brain is an enigma. This complex organ governs our thoughts, emotions, and actions, yet much of its inner workings remain mysterious. We still struggle to understand how brain diseases develop and how to effectively prevent or treat them. Fortunately, neuroscience paces ahead. The latest step forward? Single-cell research.

TReND (Teaching and Research in Natural Sciences for Development in Africa) is a non-profit organization supporting scientific capacity-building across Africa. They run cutting-edge biomedical training courses and work with African researchers to advance their research goals by sharing tools, equipment, and expertise. We talk with Artemis Koumoundourou, a Postdoctoral Researcher in the laboratory of Joris de Wit at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research and Executive Director at TReND, to find out more about how she got into it, what they've been working on, and how researchers can get involved.

Building Scientific Capacity in Africa: Artemis Koumoundourou's Story with TReND

TReND (Teaching and Research in Natural Sciences for Development in Africa) is a non-profit organization supporting scientific capacity-building...

Discover how dendritic cell vaccines can potentially improve long-term survival in late-stage ovarian cancer patients.

Dendritic Cell Atlas: A Game-Changer in Anti-Cancer Therapy

-written by Aarushi Audhut Caro, a PhD student at the VIB Center for Inflammation Research

Dendritic cell atlas: roadmap to a better anti-cancer therapy

One out of two patients with advanced-stage ovarian cancer dies within five years after diagnosis. Ovarian cancer is often called a silent killer because the symptoms associated with it are very vague and common, including bloating, loss of appetite, belly pain, and frequent urination. As a result, 80% of the patients initially either disregard these symptoms or are misdiagnosed. By the time the correct diagnosis of ovarian cancer is made, the patients are often in the late stages in which the cancer has already spread to other parts of the body. In many cases, this is too late! Interestingly, the majority of late-stage patients occasionally respond positively to the therapies they are provided with, and it appears that the cancer is gone. But eventually, the cancer comes back. Only this time, it’s much more aggressive and does not respond to therapies any longer. Ultimately, it is the late diagnosis and therapy resistance that eventually leads to low five-year survival in ovarian cancer patients. So, it is obvious that we need new therapies that are not only effective but have long-term effects so that late-stage ovarian cancer patients can live more than five years.

Sasha Yogiswara's microbiology research on using yeast to produce isoamyl alcohol sustainably paves the way for eco-friendly bioplasticizers.

Engineering yeast for sustainable bioplasticizer production

-written by Sasha Yogiswara, a PhD student at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology

Engineering yeast to produce bioplasticizers

Explore how studying hibernation in hamsters provides valuable insights into combatting Alzheimer's disease.

Hibernating hamsters as a model to study Alzheimer's disease

-written by Pablo Largo Barrientos, a postdoctoral researcher at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research

Hibernation as a model to study Alzheimer’s disease

Explore the gender-specific complexities of fatty liver disease and learn about potential treatments tailored to individual gender needs.

Gender-driven solutions for fatty liver disease

In a world where our health is paramount, fatty liver disease, known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is...

Gender personalized medicine: the future of fatty liver disease treatment

In a world where our health is paramount, fatty liver disease, known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is climbing the ranks of health concerns we can't afford to ignore. Imagine your liver, which controls over 500 vital functions, including the body's detox powerhouse, getting clogged with fat. Alarmingly, about 30% of people globally are wrestling against this silent epidemic. It's a complex disease with various risk factors, especially related to gender and sex hormonal differences, making a one-size-fits-all treatment difficult.

The VIB BioImaging Core is entering an exciting new phase to advance the bioimaging support within VIB. In March, Erin Tranfield started as Head of the VIB BioImaging Core Ghent, and Pablo Hernández Varas took the lead of the VIB BioImaging Core Leuven in May. Sounds like the perfect time for an interview in which we get to know them and their vision.

Meet the new Heads of the VIB BioImaging Core: Erin Tranfield and Pablo Hernández Varas

The VIB BioImaging Core is entering an exciting new phase to advance the bioimaging support within VIB. In March, Erin Tranfield started as Head...

An interview with VIB Bioinformatician – Dr.House - Zakaria Eddafir

Cracking the code of undiagnosed diseases

350 million people worldwide live with undiagnosed diseases. Genome sequencing can provide answers for 40% of children and adults with undiagnosed diseases, but around 60% still don't receive a diagnosis. The Wilhelm Foundation is dedicated to finding new ways and collaborations to address diseases that currently have no solutions. That’s led them to organizing a hackathon, an event where participants from diverse disciplines use computational tools and techniques to solve biological problems within a set timeframe. At this Undiagnosed Hackathon event, 126 clinicians, bioinformaticians, molecular biologists, scientists, developers, AI specialists, and individuals from 28 countries formed multidisciplinary teams to tackle the most challenging diseases.