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.

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 🦷

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.

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.

Chemical pollutants such as PFAS or UV filters are omnipresent. They are used in cosmetics, toys, or food packaging materials. But we don't understand how they affect the human body because we don't have a clear picture of how they interact in the body. This is why Andrea Rodriguez Carrillo wants to follow the journey that chemicals take from the moment they enter your body.

Do you know what happens with your blood sample after a visit to the doctor for a check-up? Your blood sample undergoes testing for common biomolecules like cholesterol, glucose, or vitamin D. Modern technology allows for testing beyond these basics, generating vast amounts of data. Dries Heylen is developing visualizations and analytical techniques to help researchers make sense of this complex data, providing deeper insights into how specific biomolecules relate to diseases and which ones are crucial to monitor. Bloody genius, right?

If you get a glioblastoma, you usually only have about 15 months to live.This malignant tumour spreads rapidly through the brain and unfortunately cannot be cured. Yanti De Visser is working on a personalised treatment to already slow down the brain tumour - with success. "The first results show that our approach has the potential to extend patients' lives by years, rather than months," she says.

As many as one in five Belgians struggle with depression at some point in their lives. Doctors then often opt for therapy and medication, including antidepressants. Yet 1/3rd of patients do not respond to those antidepressants. For them, anti-inflammatories may offer relief. Céline Wessa tells you how in this video.

Alzheimer's not only affects memory, but also balance and orientation. "People with Alzheimer's move more slowly and unsafely, putting them at greater risk of falls and broken bones than their healthy peers," Joyce Bosmans explains. She advocates helping people with Alzheimer's to get balance training.

Did you know that as many as 3 in 4 women suffer from a vaginal yeast infection at some point in their lives? But does the type of underwear they wear play a role in this? That's what Leonore Vander Donck (UAntwerpen) is looking into.