Videos

Fauve
Maertens
ILVO

In search of tobacco whiteflies and their transmissible viruses

The tobacco whitefly, an exotic fly smaller than a grain of rice, can kill almost any vegetable in a greenhouse. These flies already turned up in greenhouses of vegetable growers in our country, but we don't know how big the problem is. At least, for now. Because Fauve Maertens (ILVO) wants to change that by mapping the spread of the tobacco whitefly.
Joke
Borzée
KU Leuven
Vlerick

How to treat the financially ill health care sector

Did you know that 20% of all healthcare expenses are 'waste'? "We are spending large sums of money on things that don't really improve patients' health, such as overtreatment, administrative efficiencies, and so on", says Joke Borzee. To treat our financially ill healthcare sector, she is working on a scoring model to assess the overall value of treatments. Watch her explain how this would work.
Alvaro
Martin Hermosilla
VIB
VUB

Creating new proteins for a future without diseases

Why do people get cancer, arthritis, or Alzheimer's? Essentially because a protein key in our body does not fit in its respective lock. This is why Alvaro Martin is looking at removing defective keys and designing new protein keys. Keys that fit and can open the necessary locks, so that for example, our immune cells target and kill cancerous cells. "Protein design can be the key to unlocking a future without diseases."
Dries
Byloos
UHasselt

How safe are our timber-frame buildings?

Have you ever seen a timber-frame building? 🏠 You might be wondering how safe such a structure actually is. Well, the truth is that we don't quite know yet. Structural engineer Dries Byloos 👷 tells you why and how he is pushing for safer and taller timber-frame buildings.
Kenneth
Vanbrabant
UHasselt

Is getting some fresh air always as healthy as we think?

In the few minutes you watch this video, you breathe in thousands of fine dust particles. And did you know that this particulate matter can be found in your brain as early as 24 hours later? Biomedicist Kenneth Vanbrabant counts particulate matter particles in brain sections of deceased people. In this way, he wants to gather enough evidence so that governments can draw up better regulations for our air quality.
Lena
Fonteyn
UHasselt

Train your immune system and live to be 100 years old

Did you know that exercising is not only good for your health, but also has a positive impact on your immune system? Only scientists don't know exactly why. Lena Fonteyn dives deeper into the mystery of myokines - substances your muscle cells produce during exercise. "If we can unravel this secret, we can help you train your immune system and maybe reach 100 in a healthy way!"
Sujith
Reddy
imec
UHasselt

How to scale up perovskite solar cells?

Sujith Reddy is working on perovskites, a promising new solar cell technology that captures more sunlight and costs less than conventional solar cells. Sounds great, right! But there's a catch: these perovskite solar cells ironically tend to break down when exposed to ... light. Sujith wants to uncover the mechanisms behind this degradation in order to improve perovskites and to use them on a larger scale.

Jolien
Van den Bosch
UHasselt

What do your wisdom teeth and cancer have in common?

Fighting cancer with wisdom teeth - it almost sounds like the tooth fairy's fairy tale. And yet it is a fairy tale that could well come true. Jolien Van den Bosch (UHasselt) wants to use stem cells from wisdom teeth to develop a new therapy against cancer. One could even say she's fighting ... tooth and nail to make this happen.
Sarra
Zaghbouni
UHasselt

How tiny diamonds can help us study brain injury

Meet Sarra Zaghbouni. She unleashes nano-sized diamonds to decode the brain's secrets! 💎🧠 Teaming up with physicists, she's creating these tiny carbon heroes that sense and control temperature, allowing her to study how this affects the growth of neurons 🌡️ This research could help accelerate healing after brain injuries!
Naomi
Veeningen
UHasselt

Spinal cord injury and ageing of your immune system

A stupid accident, cancer, or a hernia - it can all cause a spinal cord injury in which certain parts of your body are then paralysed. But there is also a hidden effect - an effect in the blood, explains Naomi Veeningen (UHasselt) 🩸
Nikol
Kmentová
UHasselt

Parasites, the most successful life form on earth

Biologist Nikol Kmentová is fascinated by ... parasites. Why? Because they are the most successful life form on earth. To find out why they are the true champions of life on Earth, Nikol tries to unravel the secrets of these fascinating creatures in the depths of Lake Tanganyika in Africa. In this video, she reveals the strategies that allow parasites to thrive in one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet!
Ilse
Goyens
FWO
KU Leuven
VIB

Bacteria in the fight against 'crazy root disease'

Have you ever heard of the mysterious "crazy root disease"? Sounds like something you'd rather not have in your garden or greenhouse, right? 🌱 Find out more about this bizarre plant disease and how the VIB and the KU Leuven are determined to get rid of it! 💡✨