https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) Researchers from VIB, VUB, and an international network of collaborators have created the most comprehensive single-cell atlas to date of tumor-associated dendritic cells. By integrating data from 14 mouse tumor models and 10 human cancer types, the study provides a detailed, cross-species view of how these key immune cells are organized and altered in cancer. The work, which is published in Nature Communications, can guide the development of next-generation therapies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-comprehensive-atlas-dendritic-cells-cancers.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:20:05 EDT news699537061 Researchers at VIB, Ghent University, and VUB have uncovered how two proteins essential for immune cell development work together at the molecular level. The findings provide important insights into a critical mechanism that mediates the integration of molecular signals received from immunological threats. Their work appears in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-immune-cells-fine-tune.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 27 May 2026 15:40:02 EDT news699111541 Scientists at VIB and Vrije Universiteit Brussel have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that helps a widely used biological pesticide become more effective. The study, published in Nature Communications, reveals how bacteria produce ultra-strong protein fibers that form a molecular net, trapping infectious spores and toxins into a sticky film that enhances their ability to kill insect pests. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-molecular-net-boosts-power-natural.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 19 May 2026 14:00:14 EDT news698412768 A new study led by researchers from VIB and KU Leuven shows that Parkinson's disease can be divided into distinct subtypes, helping explain why a single treatment does not work for all patients. Using a machine-learning-driven analysis, the team identified two main groups and five subgroups of the disease, marking an important step toward more personalized therapies. The findings are published in Nature Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-machine-reveals-main-parkinson-subgroups.html Tue, 05 May 2026 14:40:07 EDT news697209661 Researchers at VIB and VUB have developed a powerful new way to study how the immune system behaves inside lung tumors. By combining a patient-relevant mouse model with single-cell technologies, the team provides one of the most comprehensive immune maps to date of lung adenocarcinoma, which is the most common subtype of lung cancer. Their work appears in Nature Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-lungs-tumor-position-reveals-immune.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:00:01 EDT news696509693 Researchers at VIB, VUB, and KU Leuven have identified a tiny binding site, a molecular "keyhole," in the TRPM3 ion channel, a crucial sensor in pain signaling. TRPM3 is also linked to rare neurodevelopmental disorders and epilepsy. In a study published in Nature Communications, the researchers found that even the slightest change in this keyhole can radically switch the channel's behavior, explaining how certain mutations can flip the effects of drugs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-molecular-keyhole-pain-epilepsy.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:40:09 EDT news695993701 Scientists at the VIB–VUB Center for Structural Biology have uncovered a counterintuitive principle that could reshape how membrane proteins are designed from scratch: Sometimes, making a protein less stable helps it fold correctly. In their study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers demonstrate that introducing carefully placed "imperfections," a strategy known as negative design, enables synthetic membrane proteins to fold and assemble efficiently in artificial membranes. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-membrane-proteins-embracing-imperfection.html Biotechnology Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:40:01 EDT news695312581 Understanding how genes are switched on and off in specific cell types remains one of biology's central challenges. While AI has made major progress in decoding the regulatory logic of DNA, applying these approaches across datasets, tissues, and species has remained difficult. In a new study published in Nature Methods, a research team led by Prof. Stein Aerts (VIB & KU Leuven) presents CREsted, a software package that enables both the analysis and design of gene regulatory elements in a systematic and scalable way. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-software-package-gene-easier-tweak.html Biotechnology Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:00:03 EDT news694342124 KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology, in collaboration with the Francis Crick Institute, has discovered how cancer cells can exploit healthy lung cells to support metastatic tumor growth in the lungs. In two complementary studies published in Nature Cell Biology and Cancer Discovery, they show that tumors use lipids produced by lung cells as signals, and that decreasing the lipid production of lung cells can decrease metastasis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-blocking-lipid-production-healthy-lung.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 11:40:05 EDT news692964033 Peroxiredoxins are among the most abundant enzymes involved in managing oxidative stress. They control the levels of peroxides such as hydrogen peroxide, relay redox signals, and help protect other proteins during stress. For decades, scientists assumed that these enzymes assemble exclusively into complexes composed of 10 identical subunits arranged in a donut-like ring. A new study challenges this view. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-antioxidant-enzyme-family-diverse-ways.html Biochemistry Sat, 14 Mar 2026 17:00:04 EDT news692372012 Researchers at VIB and Antwerp University have identified a major genetic risk factor for a rare form of frontotemporal dementia. The discovery, published today in Nature Genetics, provides a biological entry point for a disease subtype that has been difficult to study. It could not only help to improve diagnosis and patient stratification, but also opens up new avenues toward targeted treatments. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-major-genetic-factor-rare-dementia.html Thu, 12 Mar 2026 11:20:03 EDT news692531618 A new study led by researchers from VIB and KU Leuven shows that immune cells called microglia can actively promote the formation of plaques in Alzheimer's disease, challenging the long-standing view that these cells serve only as defenders against plaque buildup. The findings were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-brain-immune-cells-alzheimer-plaques.html Tue, 10 Mar 2026 09:00:07 EDT news692351401 VIB and Ghent University researchers have identified and characterized a previously unknown cellular barrier in the brain, which sheds new light on how the brain is protected from the rest of the body. In a study published in Nature Neuroscience, the scientists also reveal a new pathway by which the immune system can impact the brain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-scientists-gatekeeper-cell-brain.html Neuroscience Thu, 12 Feb 2026 18:00:01 EST news690116709 An international research consortium, led by scientists at VIB and UGent, has developed a new platform that could change how antibody medicines are tested and brought to patients. The work, published in Science Immunology, highlights problems during conventional antibody drug testing and introduces a next-generation mouse model that makes it possible to predict the effects of antibody drugs in humans more accurately. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-reliable-platform-antibody-medicines.html Medical research Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:30:31 EST news689272202 Researchers at VIB and KU Leuven have identified a molecular process that allows motor neurons to maintain protein production, a process that fails in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, reveals an early weakness in neurodegeneration and highlights a potential target for future therapies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-axonal-protein-synthesis-defect-potential.html Neuroscience Mon, 12 Jan 2026 16:21:35 EST news687457262 Alveolar macrophages are immune cells that live in the tiny air sacs of the lungs. Under normal conditions, these cells act as guardians, keeping the lungs healthy, supporting breathing, and preventing unnecessary immune responses. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-key-lung-immune-cells-allergic.html Immunology Thu, 18 Dec 2025 09:48:41 EST news685273682 Belgian scientists from VIB and Ghent University (UGent), together with Danish collaborators, have uncovered compelling evidence that early-infancy infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) significantly increases the risk of developing childhood asthma—especially in children with a family history of allergy or asthma. Their study, published today in Science Immunology, suggests that protecting newborns against RSV could substantially reduce asthma cases later in life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-rsv-vaccines-asthma.html Immunology Fri, 28 Nov 2025 14:00:05 EST news683391841 Lecanemab, sold under the name Leqembi, is a monoclonal antibody therapy for Alzheimer's disease that clears toxic amyloid plaques and delays cognitive decline. Researchers from VIB and KU Leuven have now demonstrated the mechanism behind it for the first time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-antibody-therapy-alzheimer-plaques-key.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Tue, 25 Nov 2025 11:32:03 EST news683292721 Researchers have developed a powerful new software toolbox that allows realistic brain models to be trained directly on data. This open-source framework, called JAXLEY, combines the precision of biophysical models with the speed and flexibility of modern machine learning techniques. The study, posted to the bioRxiv preprint server, could be a major step toward faster and more accurate simulations of brain function. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-software-toolbox-enables-brain.html Biotechnology Thu, 13 Nov 2025 14:46:30 EST news682267585 Researchers at the VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology have developed a new microfluidics-based workflow that enables high-resolution cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure determination from extremely small quantities of starting material. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-microfluidic-miso-platform-enables-high.html Biotechnology Thu, 13 Nov 2025 10:59:03 EST news682253941 Researchers at the VIB-UAntwerp Center for Molecular Neurology have visualized how brain network development is altered in a model of KCNQ2-related developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, a rare childhood brain disorder. Using longitudinal imaging techniques, the team observed differences in how brain regions communicate and connect, long before behavioral symptoms appear. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-imaging-brains-track-rare-childhood.html Neuroscience Fri, 31 Oct 2025 12:49:03 EDT news681133741 A mutation previously linked to skin disorders like psoriasis may also play a surprising role in gut health, according to new research published by scientists at VIB-UGent and colleagues from UGent, the University of Barcelona, and University College London. This mutation activates skin immune responses but also affects the intestine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-psoriasis-linked-gene-mutation-impacts.html Immunology Thu, 23 Oct 2025 10:32:03 EDT news680434321 Researchers at VIB and Ghent University have uncovered a key mechanism that protects the skin from harmful inflammation. The findings, published in Immunity, could open new avenues for treating chronic skin diseases and other inflammatory disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-scientists-cells-skin-inflammatory-disease.html Immunology Mon, 20 Oct 2025 12:27:04 EDT news680182022 VIB researchers and colleagues have discovered a mechanism through which melanoma cells adapt and switch between two major proliferative and invasive states, revealing promising new targets for cancer therapy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-insights-melanoma-plasticity-uncover-critical.html Oncology & Cancer Thu, 18 Sep 2025 13:30:10 EDT news677420523 Belgian scientists have uncovered new details about how the immune system responds to vaccines. Dendritic cells, which are key immune messengers that help kick-start the body's defenses, show specific responses to lipid nanoparticles. These findings, published in Cell Reports, could lead to safer and more effective vaccines. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-scientists-dendritic-cell-reactions-mrna.html Immunology Tue, 26 Aug 2025 15:29:27 EDT news675440961 Scientists in Ghent have achieved a breakthrough in sepsis research. In a study on mice, the researchers demonstrated that vitamin B1 (thiamine pyrophosphate, TPP) restores mitochondrial energy metabolism, drastically reduces lactate production, and increases survival rates in sepsis. The study results are published in Cell Reports. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-vitamin-b1-deadly-lactate-production.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 29 Jul 2025 08:39:04 EDT news672997141 A group of researchers at the VIB‑UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology has developed a new platform to isolate and analyze extracellular vesicles (EVs), nanosized particles secreted by cells and playing a role in cellular communication and disease development. Called FAEVEr, the method increases the throughput of EV enrichment and is significantly more cost‑efficient than existing methods. The study is published in the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-platform-purity-extracellular-vesicle-proteomics.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 07 Jul 2025 14:18:03 EDT news671116681 Researchers at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology have uncovered that "natural killer" cells (NK), a type of immune cell, may actually be hindering the immune system's ability to attack tumors in patients who don't respond to immune checkpoint blockade therapies (ICB), a form of immune therapy. The findings of the study have been published in Cancer Discovery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-nk-cells-door-effective-immunotherapy.html Oncology & Cancer Wed, 18 Jun 2025 15:59:44 EDT news669481175 Scientists have discovered a unique class of small antibodies that are strongly protective against a wide range of SARS coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-1 and numerous early and recent SARS-CoV-2 variants. The unique antibodies target an essential highly conserved site at the base of the virus's spike protein, effectively clamping it shut and preventing the virus from infecting cells. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-llama-derived-antibodies-coronaviruses-spike.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 11 Jun 2025 11:35:04 EDT news668860502 Researchers from the lab led by Prof. Joris De Wit (VIB-KU Leuven) have discovered an important clue to how connections between brain cells, known as synapses, mature. These new findings, published in Developmental Cell, demonstrate how two different proteins, GPR158 and PLCXD2, interact to form a specific component in developing synapses—the spine apparatus. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-molecular-unusual-pathway-orchestrates-synaptic.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 20 May 2025 11:17:03 EDT news666958621