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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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VIB and J&J team up to harness bacterial enzymes for peptide synthesis

"Bacteria are brilliant chemists" 

Peptides make powerful drugs, but they are difficult to synthesize. The pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson teams up with VIB experts to explore how to harness the biosynthetic creativity of microbes to make peptide mass manufacturing more cost-effective and sustainable.

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

Little organisms, big impact: how microbes help us battle chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease. 

MIMOSA project reviewed.

In 2019 the MIMOSA project, funded by the VIB Grand Challenges Program, was kicked off. The goal was to alleviate Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) using the intestinal microbiome. Together with partners at KU Leuven, UZ Leuven, and the Imelda Hospital in Bonheiden, some great progress has been made. Time for an overview of the past 4 years. What are the achievements? And which further investigations are envisioned?

In a world grappling with climate change, the potential of biotechnology to combat global warming remains largely untapped. Enter BIOPET, a VIB Grand Challenges Project that focuses on reshaping pet food production through biotechnology. The initiative aims to craft specialized fats known as lipids via ‘yeast factories’ fueled with side streams from food production. This will offer a sustainable alternative to traditional pet food ingredients while aligning with global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and antibiotic use.

BIOPET: transforming pet food for a greener world

In a world grappling with climate change, the potential of biotechnology to combat global warming remains largely untapped. Enter BIOPET, a VIB...

Engineering gut microbes for disease detection and drug production

the MiStiC project

Developing new drugs is a journey that requires significant resources and knowledge. A promising strategy involves harnessing the power of microbes in so-called microbial synthetic in vivo cell therapy systems to produce natural products with medicinal properties. The MiSTiC ERC (European Research Council) project led by Joleen Masschelein (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology) investigates the potential of beneficial, human-associated microorganisms to produce complex natural products for chronic intestinal disease treatment. This approach can potentially revolutionize drug development, as it addresses challenges of complexity and scarcity while offering new, sustainable routes to personalized medicine.

Joleen Masschelein's journey in microbiology

Using microbes as factories

Joleen Masschelein started as a group leader at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology in 2020. Her Laboratory for Biomolecular Discovery & Engineering is passionate about exploring the vast and untapped microbial world to uncover new compounds with therapeutic potential.

On the eve of the 2nd edition of the VIB Conference on Emerging Applications in Microbes, VIB alumni reconnected with their former colleagues in Leuven to catch up over science and beer.

Catching up with VIB scientists all across the world

On the eve of the 2nd edition of the VIB Conference on Emerging Applications in Microbes, VIB alumni reconnected with their former colleagues in...

Early 2022, VIB-UGent alumna Stien Beirinckx started working on a European project as part of the LIFE program, which aims for a climate-neutral Europa by 2050. While she focused on improved crop production through plant-microbe interactions during her PhD, she now uses science to advance policy regarding farming management for climate-resilient agriculture. The shift from academic research to policy seems abrupt, but is it?

From fundamental to applied science and later policy-making: sustainability is the recurring theme in alumna Stien Beirinckx's career

Early 2022, VIB-UGent alumna Stien Beirinckx started working on a European project as part of the LIFE program, which aims for a climate-neutral...

Microbiology