Videos

Developing new drugs often requires a lot of animal testing. But what if we could develop drugs with fewer laboratory animals? That is what Lianne van Os is doing. Based on 1 mouse liver, she makes some 600 mini-livers in the lab to test new drugs against liver disease.

You all know the story of the frog prince, but we bet you haven't yet heard this "sticky" version by evolutionary biologist Shabnam Zaman... She is researching frog glue, a defense mechanism found in certain frog species, that could one day help you 🐸 Watch the video - we're pretty sure you will be glued to your screen. 

"Freeze your eggs, free your career". This was the headline on the cover of the business magazine Bloomberg Business a few years ago. The reasoning: women could freeze their eggs, to focus on their careers and then maybe have a child later. Sounds good for women's emancipation, but how do women themselves feel about it? Philosopher Michiel De Proost sat down with 21 women to find out.

We've all seen images of spectacular collapses of large structures, such as the Morandi Bridge in Genoa. What if we could prevent the failure of structures such as bridges, dams, and wind turbines by ... listening to these structures? That's exactly what engineer Maximillian Weil (VUB) is working on. Listen to him talk about good vibrations.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. One out of 4 people dies from it. To improve treatment options for patients suffering from heart disease, mechanical engineer Mathias Peirlinck develops digital twins of patient hearts. Digital what? Watch Mathias (and his digital twin) explain it in this video.

Anyone who has ever looked for Waldo knows how hard he is to find. In her research on lung cancer, Rebekka Van Hoof (Uhasselt - KU Leuven - VITO) faces a similar task: she is searching within more than 100,000 so-called extracellular vesicles for 2 types -say 'Waldos'- that can help detect the disease early. But she is determined to narrow her search field. How? Watch her explain it in this video. 

Snoring is very annoying in itself (especially for roommates), but sometimes there is more to it. In some people, the upper airway closes up to 15 times an hour during sleep. This condition has obstructive sleep apnoea. Sara Op de Beeck explains how she wants to use data to help patients get the best treatment, so that it can be quiet in their bedroom again. 😴

Cancer is a sneaky disease. For instance, cancer cells sometimes manage to disguise themselves, outrunning our immune system. Gils Roex (UAntwerpen - FWO) explains how equipping our white blood cells with a cleverly designed CAR could well help win the race against blood cancer. Want to know more? Fasten your seatbelts & watch the video 🏎

About 1 billion people contract a fungal infection every year. Often it is only a superficial infection, but in some cases, it is worse and the fungus can get into the bloodstream. If that happens, you only have one chance in two of surviving. Jana Nysten wants to help increase that chance of survival by looking for a new medicine.

Let it be clear once and for all: tomatoes are technically a fruit, as expert Jakub Salagovic explains. Jakub is dedicating his Ph.D. research to tomatoes. He creates "virtual" tomato plants so that he can find the perfect growing conditions for these fruits, allowing you to enjoy tasty tomatoes all year round.

Last summer, Wallonia experienced massive rainfall, resulting in deadly floods. Did you know that we only expect such weather once every 400 years at the most? We can calculate this because we have been measuring precipitation in our country for more than 120 years. But with 120 years of data, how (well) can you predict 400 years from now? Jorn Van de Velde will tell in this video. 

Our memory does not work like a video camera. We can remember details or entire events that we never actually experienced. This phenomenon is called 'false memories' and it can be problematic in court, where the decision of whether someone is guilty or not can rely entirely on memory evidence. Charlotte Bücken researches if memory for negative events can be compromised by false denials.