Videos

Marijke
Dieltjens
FWO
UAntwerpen

How to get rid of obstructive sleep apnea?

Snoring can be very annoying for your bed partner, but it can also seriously disrupt your own sleep as a snorer. Because did you know that snoring is sometimes accompanied by periods in which you literally stop breathing - sometimes even for minutes at a time? That is the case with obstructive sleep apnea. Marijke Dieltjens wants to restore peace and quiet in the bedroom by helping people who suffer from this with a small, personalized mouth brace. She explains how this works in this video.
Kim
De Veirman
FWO
VUB

Camel blood attacks dormant cancer cells

Why do cancer patients relapse despite receiving treatment? This is often due to dormant cancer cells. These cells lie dormant in the body and manage to escape treatment, for example, chemotherapy. Can substances from camel and llama blood provide a breakthrough?
Fien
Verdoodt
FWO
UGent

Epilepsy in dogs: is the solution in the gut?

In Belgium, around 10,000 dogs suffer from epilepsy 🐕 This makes it the most common neurological disorder. Unfortunately, the seizures are often difficult to explain and thus to treat. Fien Verdoodt (UGent) explains why the cause might lie in intestinal bacteria...
Charlotte
De Kock
UGent

Equitable drug treatment for migrants and ethnic minorities

Refugees, migrants and ethnic minorities face complex problems, such as trauma, a loss of social network as well as discrimination. As a result, this can lead to mental and drugs problems. But do these people receive equitable drug treatment when they need it, here in Flanders? That's what Charlotte De Kock (Ghent University) devotes her research to.
Eva
Meersseman
UGent

How a camera perspective can make us eat more unhealthy

Suppose you have to choose between these dishes: will you go for the pizza, pasta carbonara, or rather the salad or the piece of fish? Well, did you know that the camera perspective in these photos has an effect on your (un)healthy food choices? Eva Meersseman (Ghent University) explains how this works.
Yael
Hirschberg
UAntwerpen
VITO

Detecting dementia through proteins

Every three seconds, someone in the world is diagnosed with dementia. But what causes it? Dementia can be caused by diseases such as Alzheimer's & Parkinson's. The only way to find out the exact cause is by studying the brain tissue of a patient after his death 🧠  Yaël Hirschberg hopes to develop a method of identifying this earlier so that a patient can receive targeted care even before the first symptoms of dementia appear. Watch her explain how  
Jana
Desloovere
UGent

In search of a new treatment for epilepsy

What if your life were in danger every time you took the stairs or drove a car? This applies to epilepsy patients: an epileptic seizure on the stairs or behind the wheel could have a very bad outcome. That is why Jana Desloovere (UGent) is working on new and more effective treatment. In this way she hopes that in the future people with epilepsy can drive a car or climb the stairs without worries.
Daphne
van den Boogaard
FWO
UGent

Lifecraft: training to manage your own happiness

Did you know that besides basic physical needs, such as sleeping and eating, you also have basic psychological needs? You will not die immediately if these psychological needs are not fulfilled, but it can make you very unhappy. Daphne van den Boogaard explains what these needs are and how you can train to manage your own happiness.
Heleen
Hanssens
FWO
VUB

How we teach your body to unmask cancer

Did you know that cancer cells are not so different from our healthy cells? This makes it difficult for T-cells, important immune cells in our body, to recognise and fight cancer cells. Cancer researcher Heleen Hanssens (VUB-FWO) wants to give T-cells a helping hand by equipping them with more sensitive receptors, or antennae, that are pre-programmed to unmask cancer cells. In the lab, she is looking for the perfect form for these CAR antennae, so that they become more stable and better at detecting cancer cells. 
Emma
De Keersmaecker
FWO
VUB

Learning to walk again with virtual reality

Someone who suffers a stroke often has to learn to walk again. Unfortunately, such rehabilitation - walking for hours on a treadmill - is often very boring and therefore difficult to maintain. "Let's make this more challenging", says Emma De Keersmaecker (VUB - FWO). She has patients complete their rehabilitation in a virtual environment using VR glasses, for example on Mars among aliens. "Walking on a treadmill will never have to be boring again!"
Karen
Libberecht
FWO
UHasselt
VIB

Studying a patient in a Petri dish

Imagine not being able to feel a hug anymore. This is what happens to some patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT1A). They get weaker muscles, their muscles die and sometimes they even lose the sense of touch. In order to research the disease more quickly and efficiently, Karen Libberecht (UHasselt - VIB - FWO) studies her patients ... in a petri dish. She explains how that works exactly in this video.
Leen
Van den Steen
FWO
UAntwerpen

Swallowing rehabilitation in head and neck cancer patients

Radiation can save the lives of people with head and neck cancer. Unfortunately, many patients develop swallowing disorders as a result of the treatment, which makes it impossible for them to eat solid food. Leen Van den Steen (UAntwerpen - UZA) wants to help them. How? With tongue strength training.