VIB-KU Leuven Center For Brain & Disease Research

📣 Scientists led by Sandrine Da Cruz have successfully seeded the accumulation of TDP-43—a hallmark of ALS and frontotemporal dementia—using lab-engineered protein fragments 🧠🔬 🏗️ These findings provide further evidence for a prion-like paradigm wherein protein aggregation occurs in a templated fashion. This breakthrough provides the research field with a powerful way to model and study the mechanisms driving neurodegeneration. Find out more 👉 https://lnkd.in/dNryiFgd This research was a collaboration between VIB-KU Leuven Center For Brain & Disease Research, KU Leuven, Hasselt University, with support from Research Foundation Flanders - FWO, Muscular Dystrophy Association and Stichting Alzheimer Onderzoek / Fondation Recherche Alzheimer. #ALS #Dementia #Neurodegeneration #TDP43

VIB is proud to share that our spin-off, Augustine Therapeutics, has successfully completed a major Series A financing round. 🎉 👉 Read more: https://lnkd.in/e2EPUYut   This key milestone supports the company’s mission to develop next-generation therapies for neuromuscular, neurodegenerative, and cardio-metabolic diseases through its innovative and highly selective HDAC6 inhibition approach.   👏 Congratulations to the entire team at Augustine Therapeutics – we’re excited to follow your continued progress on this impactful journey!   #Biotech #Innovation #SeriesA #CharcotMarieTooth #CMTAFamily #CMTRF

⚡ This #TechnologyTuesday, we have a tour of the Biophysics Unit by Valentina Zorzini! 👩🔬 Each week, we'll introduce you to some of the incredible technology and people driving research at the VIB-KU Leuven Center For Brain & Disease Research and beyond through state-of-the-art facilities and expertise. Find out more about the Biophysics Unit 👉 https://lnkd.in/dsRWRPN2 Take a Virtual Tour ▶️ https://lnkd.in/dgeQCpEJ VIB | VIB Technologies | Rodrigo Gallardo | Joost Schymkowitz | Frederic Rousseau ✨ #biophysics #biology #neuroscience #brain #research #biotechnology

🤸♀️ We invite you to join this course on Molecular Neurodegeneration and Therapeutic Approaches, which includes Patrik Verstreken as an instructor! 🧬 👩🔬 This popular course provides an overview of the clinical hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Anyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The training includes a mix of talks, panel sessions, interactive discussions, and networking opportunities. Applications from PhD students, clinical scientists in training, emerging biomedical and pharmaceutical researchers, as well as postdocs who have recently moved to the neurodegenration field are encouraged to apply 👇 https://lnkd.in/e7Dusgnk

⚡ It's #TechnologyTuesday, and to kick-start the series we have a tour of the VIB Bioimaging Core by Pablo Hernández-Varas! 🔬 Each week, we'll introduce you to some of the incredible technology and people driving research at the VIB-KU Leuven Center For Brain & Disease Research and beyond through state-of-the-art facilities and expertise. Find out more about the Bioimaging Core 👉 https://lnkd.in/dajHQabp Take a Virtual Tour 👇 ▶️ Electron Microscopy: https://lnkd.in/eC3zJJXB ▶️ Light Microscopy: https://lnkd.in/e-BfDU9A Featuring: Sebastian Munck, Nikky Corthout, Axelle Kerstens, Charlotte Cresens, Hélène Roberge, Nicolas Peredo, Katlijn Vints, Małgorzata Śliwińska & Benjamin Pavie ✨ #microscopy #bioimaging #neuroscience #research Nikon | Nikon Microscope Solutions Europe | ZEISS Group

✨ Congratulations to the researchers who received a grant from Stichting Alzheimer Onderzoek Fondation Recherche Alzheimer to fund projects with a focus on Alzheimer's disease. From the VIB-KU Leuven Center For Brain & Disease Research, pilot grants of €110.000 went to: • Xu Zhang from the De Strooper lab will use brain organoids to identify key molecules involved in tau-related neurodegeneration, with the goal of uncovering new therapeutic targets. • Céline Vrancx from the Annaert lab will investigate how Presenilin-2, a protein linked to familial Alzheimer’s, affects lysosomal function and local protein production in neurons to better understand disease mechanisms. And standard grants of €300.000 went to: • Bart De Strooper, together with Giulia Albertini and Mark Fiers, will decipher how the promising treatment Lecanemab helps clear Alzheimer’s plaques while examining potential side effects at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research. • Wim Annaert will be studying the role of certain mutations underlying Lewy Body dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Find out more 👉 https://lnkd.in/ejN55F2B VIB | KU Leuven #Alzheimers #Neurodegeneration #Research

⭐️ Incredible news from the 100-Plus study, which reached its 500th centenarian participant today! Henne Holstege joined the VIB-KU Leuven Center For Brain & Disease Research as a group leader just a few months ago to dive deeper into the molecular mechanisms that underlie aging. Find out more about her groundbreaking research and exciting career path so far 👉https://lnkd.in/eyVBE2Ce ♻️ Amsterdam UMC - Alzheimer Center Amsterdam | #ageing #longevity #100plus

⚡ The Leica LMD7 laser microdissection system is one of the latest instruments to arrive at VIB. Rodrigo Gallardo, Project Leader of the BE.Amycon #GrandChallenges project, explains how the device will help tackle the diagnostic challenges of #amyloidosis. “The key to good proteomics is having a clean, high-quality sample. If we can isolate amyloid deposits with precision, we get better data, which leads to better diagnosis.” Rodrigo shares. BE.Amycon is a collaboration between multiple research and clinical teams across VIB, UZ Ghent, and KU Leuven, including our very own Switch Lab. The project is dedicated to improving amyloidosis diagnostics by refining mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics workflows. “The better our tools, the better our data—and ultimately, the better we can diagnose and treat patients.” 👉 Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/eX7YF-d6 💡 More about BE.Amycon: beamycon.sites.vib.be/en

Chelsea Hayen, a PhD student in the lab of Esther Klingler, studies how early-life stress shapes the emotional circuits of the brain 🤯🧠 🔬 Her preliminary work reveals that while both male and female mice exhibit similar immediate responses to maternal separation stress, their long-term reactions diverge. Males display increased risk-taking and lower attention, while females show distinct molecular changes in fear-related neurons. These results suggest that our current behavioral tests may not fully capture the effects of stress in females, highlighting the need for more nuanced research models. 👩🔬 Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society, observed annually in March. For a long time, the life sciences have been built on insights gained from male bodies, male lab animals, and male cells in culture. The gender data gap reflects this bias and often leads to a lack of knowledge about disease progression and therapy response in women. At VIB, several research groups are tackling this data gap by explicitly including biological sex as a variable in their experiments and projects. Find out more 👇 https://lnkd.in/eSi-nsu8

A big congratulations to Prof. Patrik Verstreken on receiving the Generet Prize for Rare Diseases 2024! 🏆 Patrik and his team at the VIB-KU Leuven Center For Brain & Disease Research are pioneering the use of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to try and silence a genetic mutation that causes a specific form of early-onset dementia. This prestigious award, granted by the Generet Fund (managed by the King Baudouin Foundation), will provide a major boost for his ongoing efforts. On #RareDiseaseDay, we're reminded why this work matters. Rare diseases often go underfunded and overlooked, yet profoundly impact millions of lives.