Videos

Will we beat the next pandemic with a nasal spray? Yes, if it depends on Ilke Van Tente. She is working on new vaccines in the form of nasal spray. Because why administer vaccines via injections, and thus into the blood, when viruses such as the COVID virus enter our bodies through the nose?

Does the Nutri-Score help us make healthier food choices, or is it just a marketing stunt? Elke Godden (UAntwerpen) is conducting experiments to find out. She discusses her findings in this video.

Did you know that researchers can rebuild white blood cells in the lab to fight cancer? Professor Eva Lion (UAntwerpen) explains how she pulls out her scientific toolbox to equip white blood cells with the right tools to track and kill cancer cells.

A new study on Helsmoortel-Van der Aa syndrome, a rare genetic disorder affecting brain development, offers hope through a nasal spray containing the so-called ADNP protein. Using a mouse model to mimic the condition, Claudio D'Incal (UAntwerp) discovered defects in the hippocampus and brain cell structure that impact learning and memory. Early tests with the spray show promise in restoring ADNP levels, potentially improving learning.

Will a miniature device implanted in the brain help stroke survivors in their recovery? That is what Ugur Kilic (KU Leuven - FWO) researches in her PhD. Find out more in this video!

Jasper Smet is working (out) in the lab: he wants to grow 3D human muscles to help those with muscle diseases and injuries. By piecing together tiny muscle sections in the lab, he aims to create realistic human muscle models. These could be used to unravel how muscles work, test the effect of drugs, and one day perform transplants in people with severe muscle injuries. Muscle up!

Would you be able to perform CPR if a loved one suddenly collapses due to a cardiac arrest? Not enough people are properly trained in CPR; even when they are, they often feel reluctant to act in high-stress situations. "Standard CPR training is done on a manikin and doesn't prepare you for a real emergency, full of stress and chaos", says Anne-Astrid Agten. She wants to change this using virtual reality.

Did you know that growing up, one in four children worldwide experience a traumatic dental injury? Current treatments for these injuries aren't optimal, nor long-lasting, and render the tooth brittle, leading to possible tooth loss. But what if teeth could heal themselves? That's what Una Ivkovic sinks her teeth into: a hydrogel that guides stem cells to the injury to generate new dental tissue and restore the damaged tooth 🦷

Does extraterrestrial life exist? To date, Thomas Konings has not discovered any extraterrestrial neighbors. But he diligently continues his search. That search for extraterrestrial life starts with the search for habitable planets. To do this, Thomas and his colleagues look at exoplanets, planets outside our solar system. But how do you study planets billions of kilometers away from us? Thomas tells you in this video.

You know the feeling of having to pee when you just went to the bathroom 20 minutes ago? Then you may be suffering from an overactive 'bladder'. The problem is not so much in your bladder, but well over a meter higher, as it's your brain that decides when you need to pee. Anugrah Santoso looks for abnormal brain patterns that can lead to this recurring urge to pee.

Summer, sun and a cold beer. ☀️ 🍺 It's the perfect combination for beer lovers. But did you know that the changing climate creates challenges for brewers? It affects the starch, a key component of the barley from which beer is made. 🌾 As a result, from the same amount of barley, you get less alcohol and therefore less beer. Fortunately, bioengineer Charlotte De Schepper is developing some new strategies to deal with the changing starch properties. Cheers! 🍻

3 billion times. That's how many times a heart beats on average in a lifetime. Unfortunately, that does not apply to everyone. As many as one in 10 Belgians die prematurely from cardiovascular disease. Nicholas Cauwenberghs wants to do something about that. He wants to enlist medically untrained volunteers to help determine your risk of cardiovascular disease with a user-friendly kit in the supermarket.