Researchers led by Peter Carmeliet (VIB-KU Leuven) have found a novel way to normalize the dysfunctional blood vessels that are typical for tumors. Those vessels play a pivotal role in cancer metastasis, as their fragility and permeability allows cancer cells to escape through the blood stream and invade other organs. By manipulating the blood vessel cells’ sugar metabolism, the scientists were able to ‘cool down’ their overheated engines and create a healthy and structured blood vessel network. On top of preventing the spread of cancer cells, the restored vessels delivered chemotherapy drugs in a more efficient way to the tumor. These groundbreaking results are published in the scientific journal Cancer Cell.

Biocartis launched a fast, accurate msi assay on its idylla™ platform, offering the Potential to predict effective cancer treatment options.

Synapses, the place where brain cells contact one another, play a pivotal role in the transmission of toxic proteins. This allows neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s to spread through the brain. This the main conclusion of new research led by professor Patrik Verstreken (VIB-KU Leuven), in collaboration with Janssen Research & Development (Johnson & Johnson). If the spreading of these toxic proteins could be prevented, the progression of neurodegenerative diseases might be slowed down substantially. The research paper is published in the leading trade journal Cell Reports.

More than ever, VIB is in full motion: our reorganization into 8 research centers needs logistic follow-up, we’re approaching new agreements with our partner universities, the need for new infrastructure is growing, and the list goes on. To streamline all these tasks and challenges, at the interface of operations and strategy, we needed somebody special. We found the right person for the job in Wim Goemaere, who’s making a comeback after 10 years: “It honestly feels great to return to an organization that is more dynamic and energetic than ever.” Jo Bury: “Wim is a charming man with great social skills. I’m convinced that he will be able to reconfirm and strengthen our partnerships with the universities.”

Prof. Sarah-Maria Fendt (VIB-KU Leuven): “In this project we have studied mutations in the enzyme succinate dehydrogenase, which are associated with tumors, but also neurodegeneration. This is per se already interesting, because tumors are defined by cells that show sustained proliferation and in this sense sustained fitness, while neurodegeration is defined by cells of impaired fitness. Thus, it is surprising that mutations in one and the same enzyme, which all lead to loss of enzyme expression result in two very distinct disease phenotypes.”

Research from the group of Massimo Santoro reveals a novel function of blood flow in controlling vascular maturation and myogenesis during vertebrate development.

While Silicon Valley is widely recognized for its tech and internet industry, its historical role in life sciences is maybe less well-known. In the ‘70s, Stanley Cohen of Stanford and Herbert Boyer of UCSF started tinkering with bacterial plasmids in their labs. They discovered that plasmids could be enzymatically cut and pasted back together in the test tube. This enabled bacterial production of human proteins for the first time, a technological breakthrough that led Boyer to found Genentech for the production of recombinant insulin.