From women in science to a salty surprise ꓲ VIBTimes February

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IN THIS EDITION

SCIENCE

Impact of salt on your immune system

Can diet play a role in cancer progression?

BUSINESS

Crucial ingredients for biotech startups

PEOPLE

Generet Award

ERC Proof of Concept Grant

ERC Consolidator Grant

Blog Joleen Masschelein

Becoming the role model she didn’t have

EVENTS

Reverse science café

Impact of salt on your immune system

We all know that eating too much salt harms our blood pressure and heart. But now a recent study revealed that excess salt also impacts our immune system! These findings may open doors to explore the development of autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases.

Learn more about this salty surprise

Excess salt cuts energy supply of immune regulators

Can diet play a role in cancer progression?

Fat creates an ideal environment for metastatic breast tumors

Obesity is a major risk factor for the spreading of cancer cells, but it remains unknown how fat promotes this process. As a result, therapies are typically not tailored to overweight breast cancer patients. Now, research has been able to uncover the role of a specific fatty acid for metastasis in breast cancer, opening the way to further research into how diet can play a role in cancer progression.

Delve further into the topic

Crucial ingredients for biotech startups

Biotope ^{by VIB}, the incubator program by VIB, launched its pre-seed venture fund ‘Biotope Ventures’. The venture fund is unique in its kind, providing investments to early-stage agrifood and health biotech startups to help them leap from concept to a viable business.

Biotope ^{by VIB}, explained by Annick Verween (biotope Manager):

Generet Award for Rare Diseases

We talked to Rosa Rademakers, Pierre Vanderhaeghen & Ludo Van Den Bosch, all consecutive winners of the Generet Award.

"With the Generet Award's help, I will continue my work on ALS and hope to make real progress in the field.

- Ludo Van Den Bosch (VIB-KU Leuven)

Read the interview with the last 3 Generet Awardees

ERC Proof of Concept Grant

"It shows that ERC believes in our project and the potential it has for treating patients with metastatic cancer.”

- Sarah-Maria Fendt (VIB-KU Leuven)

Learn more

ERC Consolidator Grant

"Thanks to this funding, we will be able to further explore this incredibly rare and poorly understood condition, Moyamoya disease.”

- Francis Impens (VIB/UGent)

Dive deeper

ERC Starting Grant

"It will give my team and me a unique opportunity to explore new frontiers in the world of microbial therapeutics.”

- Joleen Masschelein (VIB-KU Leuven)

Discover how Joleen's lab uses microbes as factories

VIB @VIBLifeSciences · 11 Feb

👩‍🔬🔬Celebrating the brilliance and achievements of #womeninscience! Today and every day, we stand in awe of the contributions they make to advance #biotechnology. Here's to a future where all scientists are valued equally, regardless of gender.

#diversityatVIB

Read the tweets

Becoming the role model she didn’t have

"There are just as many talented men as women in research. If people stop selecting based on gender and simply look at knowledge, gender equality in academia will straighten itself out."

- Christine Van Broeckhoven (former Scientific Director at VIB-UAntwerp)

Discover the full interview

Reverse science café: perfect mix of science, conversation and community

This is the beauty of reverse science cafés, in which the roles are reversed and experts ask questions to stakeholders to facilitate open discussions. Such reverse science cafés are regularly organised in the context of VIB Grand Challenges projects, to gather and implement valuable feedback from stakeholders.

Working at VIB

The frontiers of science, the latest technologies, a positive impact on society... Feeling inspired? Check out our jobs for one that matches your profile.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Expert
VIB Headquarters in Ghent/Leuven

Digital Production Officer

VIB Headquarters in Ghent

(Web) Developer

VIB-UAntwerp Center for Molecular Neurology in Antwerp

Junior postdoc for a research position at the VIB Bioimaging Core

VIB Bioimaging Core in Leuven

Discover more jobs

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