Videos

Thanks to new radiotherapy techniques, more and more patients with head and neck cancer are surviving. But for 70% of them, this radiation causes chronic swallowing problems, making it difficult to eat and drink. Hanne Massonet hopes to help them enjoy food and drink again by training their tongue, mouth, and throat muscles.

It is a relatively new and promising path in cancer research: the reuse of old, non-cancer drugs. In her PhD, Laurie Freire Boullosa focuses on an old rheumatism pill and examines whether it can be used as a weapon against cancer.

With the current corona pandemic, viruses are seen as more dangerous than ever. But did you know that some viruses can help us fight cancer? Jolien De Munck is studying the potential of these so-called 'oncolytic viruses'.

Jade Pattyn (UAntwerp) wants to make cervical cancer extremely rare. She is working on an alternative to detect cervical cancer more easy: via a simple urine sample instead of a smear. As she states: "many women will agree with me: there are nicer places to lay down than in your doctor's chair"

A cancer patient's blood contains valuable information about the cancer tumor, which can help determine the best treatment. However, in order to extract that information properly from the blood in the laboratory, the blood samples need to be treated carefully. Laure Sorber developed a manual for this.

Joeri Lambrecht (VUB - Vrije Universiteit Brussel) developed a simple blood test that allows for a faster, safer and cheaper detection of liver fibrosis.

Up to 91 pills a week. That's how many medicines people take at the end of their lives. Kristel Paque is investigating whether all these pills are really necessary.

During cancer treatments medicines sometimes tend to remain in the kidneys of patients, which can be a problem because they can cause damage to healthy cells there. Maxine Crauwels is carrying out research to help guide the medication to the exit.  

Jessica Bridoux, researcher at the University of Brussels (VUB), is developing a diagnostic tool to track tumourcells that are trying to hide from our immune system.

Yana Dekempeneer is looking for a new, more effective method of treating breast cancer and she's putting her hope on camels...