Our research

Many bacteria can infect us and cause health problems. Antibiotics are medications developed to tackle bacterial infections either by directly destroying the bacteria or slowing down their growth. They can, however, not be implemented against viral infections. Both the basic mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and different ways to exploit this in therapeutics are studied at VIB.

Bacteria are single-celled prokaryotic organisms that can be found almost everywhere on earth. They can have various shapes and several types are involved in many industrial processes. They can be both beneficial and detrimental to our health.

Biofuel is a type of fuel that is directly extracted from biomass, in contrast to fossil fuels, the formation of which depends on very slow geological processes. The most common types of biofuel are bioethanol, an alcohol made by fermentation, and biodiesel, produced out of oils or fats. Bacterial biocatalysis can also be used for sustainable, large-scale, industrial oleochemical production.

Computationally handling biological data often requires specific tools. Developing and implementing programs and plug-ins for biological information has quickly become a flourishing field of research and development.

Cancer is a group of diseases that result from the uncontrolled growth of cells. Cancer cells often clump together into tumors and can spread throughout the body. Cancer can arise in all tissues of the body.

Cellular metabolism refers to the set of chemical reactions that take place in a cell through which energy and basic components are provided for essential processes, including the synthesis of new molecules and the breakdown and removal of others.

Translating basic research findings into drugs is a long process with many steps. Medical biotechnology can both enable new discoveries and speed up the process of turning this new knowledge into usable therapies.

Epidemiology is a branch of medicine that studies the incidence, distribution, and possible control of diseases and other factors relating to health.

Gene activity can be influenced by ‘tags’ that bind to the genetic code. By investigating the occurrence and effect of these tags, the downstream effects of gene expression can be better understood, as can its relevance for various diseases.

Genes can be turned on or off. Their action can be sped up or slowed down. All this requires a complex set of regulatory molecules. Acquiring an overview of this regulation requires intense data-crunching capabilities and system-level analysis.

Genomics is the study of all the genes of an organism (the genome), including interactions of those genes with each other and with the organism’s environment.

The gut flora, or the gut microbiota, are all the microorganisms that live inside our – and other animals’ – digestive tracts. In most, cases, this is a diverse community of many species and research is increasingly showing that they can have an effect on many aspects of our lives.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) is a method in genetics that looks at the genomes of many people in order to identify specific genetic variations associated with certain diseases. The large-scale approach is very useful to identify small variations.

Microbes and the hosts they colonize constantly interact. These interactions are crucial in determining the health effects of the microbes on the host. Host-microbe interactions can take on numerous forms, from mutual benefit to long-lasting disease.

The metabolism – both at cellular and organismal level – is a very complex process that involves the presence and action of numerous molecules at different stages of the process. Capturing the intricacies of metabolism requires expansive data capturing and handling capacities.

Inside and on the surface of the human body live a large number of microorganisms. Together, these constitute the microbiome. The microbes that live inside and on us are increasingly recognized as important contributors to a wide range of diseases and other aspects of health.

Molecular biology is the research field that studies the molecular basis of biological processes. It involves the structure and function of molecules, as well as the interaction between both. Typical topics of study are molecule synthesis, functioning, and interaction.

Next-generation, or high-throughput, sequencing is a set of technologies that allows sequencing large runs of DNA or RNA faster and cheaper than ever before. This generates large amounts of biologically relevant data, waiting to be explored.

Like all living organisms, microbes require food to function. Nutrient sensing is the set of abilities that allows them to locate a fuel substrate than can be used to support their functions. The amount and type of fuel needed can vary greatly between different microorganisms.

For a seed to become plant, a complicated developmental process has to be performed. Many molecules have to interact, tissues have to be built, and signals have to be sent to coordinate all this. Successful continued growth is a systemic process that needs a systemic view for full understanding.

Microbes can develop resistance to the antibiotics designed to stop them. Such resistant microbes require a much larger effort to eradicate. Understanding the mechanisms they use to achieve this can lead to new treatment options.

When microbes encounter a stressful stimulus, they respond. This stress response initiates several biochemical processes that enable the microbe to handle and survive the adverse environmental changes that elicited the stress response.

Synthetic biology is a field of science that involves redesigning organisms for useful purposes by engineering them to have new abilities.

Systems biology studies biological systems taking into account the interactions of key elements such as DNA, RNA, proteins, and cells with respect to one another (eg as in a system).

Yeasts are a group of single-celled eukaryotic microorganisms. They are part of the fungus kingdom and there are at least 1500 species of them. Several of them are important for the production of foods and beverages due to their fermentation abilities. Some of them can be pathogenic.