Videos

When you enjoy a day on the beach, you want to make sure to wear sunscreen to avoid sunburn. But did you know that quite a few sunscreens contain nanoparticles to help protect your skin from the sun? The use of nanoparticles is strictly regulated and only a limited amount can be used. Milica Velimirovic (VITO) is developing a new & fast analysis method to measure nanoparticles and their quantity in sunscreen. 

Your gut is filled with 'superhero' bacteria that help you maintain your body in a healthy way. These superheroes rely on prebiotics; compounds that help them grow. Karina Rios Rios (VITO) is looking for such prebiotics in unsuspected resources... Find out how she wants to help you feed your superhero bacteria.

Imagine being sick and simply being able to ask your body what's going on and what it needs to get better. Well, the proteins in our body can tell us that. But it takes a long time for us to understand what they're saying. With his tool, QCquan.net, bioinformatician Joris Van Houtven is determined to speed up that process!

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased awareness about the importance of indoor ventilation. But measuring indoor air quality and ventilation rates often requires eco-unfriendly substances or complex and expensive equipment. Luckily, Sarah Lima Paralovo (Universiteit Gent - VITO) is developing a simple method to measure ventilation rates.

"Evolution is like a race: the individual who can reproduce the fastest wins the race. But we all know of one race that was not won by the fastest..." Jana Helsen (KU Leuven - VIB) explains how evolution is sometimes a bit like the fable about the tortoise and the hare.

To have a conversation and interact in a meaningful way, you have to be constantly aware of what has already been said. You have to remember the recent past. But how does that work? How does our brain create a memory? That's what Lies Deceuninck (Imec - KU Leuven) is researching.

Wouldn't it be great if you could have your own virus detection facility at home, or even in your pocket? That's what Boshen Liang & his colleagues at imec & Ku Leuven are working on via so-called lab-on-chip technology.

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. 🚽

If you get sick and are too weak to breathe on your own, a mechanical ventilator can save your life. But did you know that prolonged use of such a device can also make it very difficult to breathe on your own again once you have recovered? Marine Van Hollebeke tells you why. 

Every year, nearly one out of three 65-year-olds in Belgium suffers a bad fall, which may lead to a traumatic brain injury. Rebeca Gavrila is developing a prognostic tool to predict how a certain type of fall accident will impact the patients functioning. This way, she wants to help doctors to choose the best rehabilitation strategy.

Social contacts are very important for our well-being. Unfortunately, people with disabilities often rely on a much smaller network. Evy Meys (KU Leuven) is investigating how their network can be strengthened.

"Some people barely dare to leave their homes because they are so anxious, worried to death to have a panic attack in the supermarket." Therapy and medication can help people with such an anxiety disorder. Still, some people continue to have a hard time. Laura Luyten (KU Leuven) wants to help those people.