VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology)
VIB ( the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) is a research center with 1100 scientists, professionals and support staff and headquartered in Gent, Belgium. VIB's main objective is gathering innovative basic knowledge on the normal and abnormal or pathological processes occurring in a cell, an organ, and an organism (humans, plants and micro-organisms) utilizing gene technology research methods. VIB has made many breakthrough discoveries. VIB operates in four Flemish universities, Ghent University, K.U. Leuven, University of Antwerp, and Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Faulty energy production in brain cells leads to disorders ranging from Parkinson's to intellectual disability
Neuroscientist Patrik Verstreken of VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and KU Leuven has shown for the first time that dysfunctional mitochondria in brain cells can lead to learning disabilities. The link between ...
Parkinson's & Movement disorders
May 17, 2013 |
4 / 5 (2) |
0
Scientists shed new light on mechanisms of T-ALL, a form of leukemia that primarily affects children
Acute lymphatic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children under the age of 14 years. With optimum treatment, approximately 75 % of children are currently cured, but the treatment consists of severe chemotherapy ...
Cancer
Dec 23, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
|
Discovery could improve screening for sudden cardiac death
Unfortunately, newspaper articles about young athletes dying suddenly on the field are not unheard of. Such reports fuel discussions about compulsory screening, for example of young footballers, for heart failure. Research ...
Cardiology
Dec 12, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
New research opens new pathway for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease
Scientists from VIB and KU Leuven have discovered a new target molecule for the development of a treatment against Alzheimer's disease. There is currently no cure for this disease. Many candidate drugs fail because they also ...
Alzheimer's disease & dementia
Dec 03, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
New technology for more efficient treatment of Pompe disease, other metabolic disorders
VIB researchers from UGent and Vrije Universiteit Brussel , together with a team of the firm Oxyrane have developed a new technology that can lead to a more efficient and possibly also cheaper therapy for diseases such as ...
Medical research
Nov 19, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
'Missing link' discovered in the defense mechanism of the tuberculosis pathogen
Flemish biologists lead by Joris Messens (VIB / Vrije Universiteit Brussel) have discovered that Mycobacterium tuberculosis – the bacterium that causes tuberculosis – has an ingenious defence mechanism against oxygen ...
Medical research
Nov 14, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
New point of focus found for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases
Scientists affiliated with VIB and UGent have discovered a mechanism used by the protein A20 to combat inflammation. This could be a very important point of focus in the search for a treatment for autoimmune diseases such ...
Arthritis & Rheumatism
Oct 09, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
Too much protein HUWE1 causes intellectual disability
Two to three percent of the children are born with an intellectual disability. Possibly by a genetic defect, but in 80% of these cases, we do not know – yet - which genes are responsible. VIB researchers at KU Leuven show ...
Genetics
Aug 31, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
Zebra fish point the way towards new therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Leuven scientists (VIB/KU Leuven) are using zebrafish as a model in their search for genes that play a role in the mechanism of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). As a result, they have identified a molecule that could ...
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
Aug 27, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
Scientists uncover strategy able to dramatically reduce chemotherapy's side effects
Researchers in Leuven (VIB/KU Leuven) have confirmed their hypothesis that normalizing blood vessels by blocking oxygen sensor PHD2 would make chemotherapy more effective. They also demonstrated for the first time that this ...
Cancer
Aug 14, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
New line of approach for combination therapy against melanoma
A melanoma is a malignant form of skin cancer and is one of the most aggressive types of tumors there is. Treatment is particularly difficult, because melanomas are usually resistant against conventional chemotherapy ...
Cancer
Jul 23, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
Biomarker predicts response to cancer treatment
VIB researcher Diether Lambrechts, associated with KU Leuven, has discovered a biomarker that might potentially predict which patients will benefit more from treatment with bevacizumab (Avastin). If validated, this discovery ...
Cancer
May 21, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
Vitamin K2: New hope for Parkinson's patients?
Neuroscientist Patrik Verstreken, associated with VIB and KU Leuven, succeeded in undoing the effect of one of the genetic defects that leads to Parkinson's using vitamin K2. His discovery gives hope to Parkinson's patients. ...
Parkinson's & Movement disorders
May 11, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
Mice point to a therapy for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
VIB researchers have developed a mouse model for Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) neuropathy, a hereditary disease of the peripheral nervous system. They also found a potential therapy for this incurable disease. The treatment ...
Dentistry
Aug 02, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
|
New strategy to combat cystitis
One in three women will be faced at least once in her life with cystitis, for some the start of a constantly recurring infection. Cystitis is caused by Escherichia coli bacteria which fasten on to the wall of the bladder by mea ...
Medical research
Jun 03, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
