Are all those pills really needed as the end approaches?
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.
Did you know that breast cancer is the second most common cancer for women, affecting 1.7 million women worldwide? In her research Ovia Margaret Thirukkumaran is trying to decipher how cancer cells communicate and develop resistance against drugs in so called HER 2 breast cancer, a very aggressive form of breast cancer.
Organ transplants: life-saving, yet sometimes lethal
While an organ transplant will often save the life of a patient, it also leads to a higher risk of developing cancer. Nena Testelmans (KU Leuven) is determined to help unravel why transplants might induce cancer in patients.
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.
Imagine having to visit the toilet 30 times a day for 'number two'. That's not possible, right? Unfortunately, it's the reality for a lot of patients with rectal cancer who've had rectal surgery. Anne Asnong tries to help these people so that they no longer have to spend their life 'chained' to the toilet seat. 🚽
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'.
Does the electronic cigarette help to quit smoking?
Quitting smoking is quite a challenge. In her PhD, Karolien Adriaens (KU Leuven) shows that the e-cigarette is an effective tool to help smokers eventually get rid of their addiction.
Chemotherapy affects the brains of patients. It can lead to cognitive complaints, stress, and fatigue. Michelle Melis achieves promising results with mindfulness in patients with breast cancer.
Understanding the self-cannibalism instincts of melanoma
Melanoma is a very common and lethal type of skin cancer. Melanoma cells have a strange, yet effective defence mechanism called autophagy: they can manage to survive by eating parts of themselves. Monica Vara Perez tries to figure out this self-cannibalism mechanism in order to help defeat melanoma.