V-Bio Ventures invests in Augustine Therapeutics, a VIB and KU Leuven spin-off to fight neuromuscular diseases

06-Jan-2020 - V-Bio Ventures announced its investment in Augustine Therapeutics, a new venture developing innovative therapeutics for patients suffering from Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. A spin-off of VIB and KU Leuven, Augustine raises a seed-round of 4.2 million euro with V-Bio Ventures, PMV, Advent France ...

Catching a tumor in a spider's web

14-Nov-2016 - After a decade of research, the Belgian Switch Laboratory (VIB/KU Leuven) has revealed a new designer molecule that inhibits a well-validated cancer driver through the mechanism of amyloid formation. This work demonstrates that amyloid structures can be used to rationally develop a novel class of ...

New DNA sequencing nanopore

VIB collaborates with Oxford Nanopore Technologies

10-Mar-2016 - VIB is proud to announce that the lab of Han Remaut (VIB/Vrije Universiteit Brussels) has teamed up with Oxford Nanopore Technologies for the development of nanopore sensing technology. VIB pioneered work on a protein nanopore, CsgG, which was developed into a sensing nanopore by Oxford Nanopore ...

Scientists learn how to predict plant size

14-Sep-2015 - VIB and UGent scientists have developed a new method which allows them to predict the final size of a plant while it is still a seedling. Thanks to this method, which is based on the knowledge that a set of genes is associated with the final size of a leaf, scientists will be able to ...

Blocking the PHD2 oxygen sensor inhibits breast cancer dissemination

04-Aug-2015 - ​Scientists at VIB and KU Leuven have shown that reducing the expression of the PHD2 oxygen sensor impairs the ability of breast cancers to metastasize (spread) to other parts of the body. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, primarily due to metastasis. These ...

New biotech company Confo Therapeutics launched by VIB and Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Capricorn Venture Partners leads 1st financing round of € 3 million

26-Jun-2015 - The establishment of Confo Therapeutics, a spin-off of VIB and Vrije Universiteit Brussel, was announced today. A consortium led by Capricorn Health-Tech Fund with the participation of Qbic and SOFI contributed € 3 million in the first institutional round of investment. These resources will be ...

New insights could result in changes to the therapeutic strategy to combat Alzheimer’s

​System developed for this research that could reduce a number of animal tests.

28-May-2015 - A typical characteristic of the brain of an Alzheimer sufferer is the presence of insoluble Tau protein aggregates. Scientists at VIB, KU Leuven and Janssen Pharmaceutica have demonstrated that the distribution of these aggregates through the brain is facilitated by synaptic connections between ...

VIB and Performa Investimentos establish GlobalYeast to deliver superior industrial yeast strains

26-May-2015 - VIB and Performa Investimentos, an independent Brazilian private equity and venture capital company, announced the establishment of GlobalYeast, a new company that will develop and deliver superior industrial yeast strains for bioethanol and the green chemicals industry. The company raised a ...

Novel insights in MET-proto-oncogene might lead to optimizing cancer treatment

MET inhibitors could have a double-edged effect on tumors

21-May-2015 - The MET-proto-oncogene is involved in the pathogenesis of several tumors and therefore represents an interesting target for future therapies currently tested in dozens of clinical trials. Veronica Finisguerra, Andrea Casazza, Max Mazzone and colleagues from VIB, KU Leuven and UZ Leuven now reveal ...

ThromboGenics and VIB launch New Oncology Company

16-Apr-2015 - ThromboGenics NV announced the foundation of Oncurious NV, a new oncology company that will develop TB-403 for the treatment of pediatric brain tumors. VIB will become a shareholder alongside ThromboGenics in this new oncology venture. ThromboGenics will be the majority shareholder. TB-403 is a ...