VIB's top stories of 2024: the year in review

From groundbreaking scientific discoveries to remarkable moments of innovation, join us in celebrating 2024 at VIB through our editor's pick of the Top 10 Stories.

1. Stool transplant shows promise for Parkinson's disease

4 April - Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease that affects millions worldwide. Now, a groundbreaking clinical study conducted by researchers at Ghent University Hospital, VIB, and Ghent University has demonstrated the potential of fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) to improve symptoms in patients with PD. This research, published in eClinicalMedicine, provides promising evidence that FMT could be a valuable new treatment for this debilitating disorder.

2. Tanai Therapeutics, a new VIB spin-off company, secures additional financing from Novo Nordisk for novel obesity drug

19 September – Tanai Therapeutics (“the Company” or “Tanai”), a VIB spin-off company developing a new therapeutic class of obesity treatments, today announces it has secured additional financing from Novo Nordisk A/S and BioGeneration Ventures (“BGV”) alongside existing investors V-Bio Ventures, Qbic and VIB, bringing the total seed round to date to over EUR 6 million. Tanai is developing an oral therapeutic targeting a novel, genetically validated pathway in obesity that plays a key role in energy expenditure.

3. Innovating today, creating tomorrow: the VIB Bio-Incubator

2024 marks a significant milestone for VIB with the inauguration of our new headquarters and bio-incubator, the result of a collaboration with infrastructure investor PMV.

4. Five new ERC Grants for VIB researchers in 2024

This year, VIB researchers received five new ERC grants. The recipients of these renowned, competitive grants are:

5. AI predicts the taste and quality of beer

26 March - Belgian scientists have developed AI models that can predict how a particular beer will be rated by consumers, and what aroma compounds brewers can add to improve it. The research was published today in the renowned scientific journal Nature Communications and may revolutionize how the food and beverage industry develops new products. 

6. Leading the charge of AI in life sciences

2 October - Little more than a year ago, VIB’s 10^th research center, VIB.AI: Center for AI & Computational Biology was launched. Heading this new endeavor is Prof. Stein Aerts, Scientific Director of the new center focusing on applications of artificial intelligence and computational biology. We sat down with Stein to reflect on the past year and to discuss what the future holds for this exciting new field of research.

7. Precision oncology company Flindr Therapeutics announces €20 million Series A financing to advance first-in-class small molecule inhibitors

24 April – Flindr Therapeutics B.V. (“Flindr” or “the Company”), a precision oncology therapeutics company, today announces a €20 million Series A financing to advance its pipeline of first-in-class, small molecule inhibitors for treatment of cancer. V-Bio Ventures led the financing alongside other new investors Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. (JJDC), QBIC Fund, Flanders Future Tech Fund and Curie Capital, as well as existing investors Oncode Oncology Bridge Fund, Swanbridge and Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM). 

8. Does the menstrual cycle influence the effect of chemotherapy?

4 December - A team of Dutch and Belgian researchers from the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Oncode Institute, and the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology has found that the menstrual cycle phase may influence the effectiveness of chemotherapy in breast cancer. The finding highlights the importance of further research into the menstrual cycle, the effects of drugs on women versus men, and female-specific research in general.

9. Fifteen VIB researchers receive a grant from Stichting Alzheimer Onderzoek

3 April - Fondation Recherche Alzheimer - Stichting Alzheimer Onderzoek (SAO) selected fifteen research projects from VIB this year to invest a record amount of three million euros. The researchers received their grants in the wedding hall of the city of Antwerp, accompanied by a festive reception.

10. Exploring the world of microfluidics at VIB

24 January - The FabLab collaboration with KU Leuven allows VIB researchers to assess the potential of microfluidics for their projects.

Cheers to the new year!

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