Imagine a virus that increases its chances of spreading by staying undetectable for a few days after it infects us, while we humans try to defend ourselves with a tool that we developed over thousands of years of evolution: our power to think. “Evolution is about more than just fossils or Darwin’s finches. It’s happening every day, before our very eyes.”
Researchers and governments come from all over the world to ask advice to Sarah De Saeger and Marthe De Boevre. The two UGhent researchers are world authorities in their field, namely toxic substances in fungi that cause cancers and affect immune systems. “We want to share our knowledge with regions that need it.”
The corona crisis is having a major negative impact on the most vulnerable refugees, according to a study by the World Health Organization published last Friday, on the International Day of Migrants. It was researchers from Ghent University and the University of Copenhagen that developed this report. “We are very happy that the WHO chose to run with our study. In this way our work can have worldwide resonance.”
Our tap water travels hundreds of kilometers each day, even though we get more than enough water falling on the roof. According to bioengineer Korneel Rabaey, switching to a local or even circular water supply is quite feasible.
The organization and transportation of water and food is one of the biggest obstacles to a manned trip to Mars. It is impossible to send all the necessary food and drink into space. Bio-engineer Jolien De Paepe is therefore developing a recycling system that converts astronauts’ urine into clean drinking water and valuable nutrients.
Would you be able to trust the diagnosis of an app in the same way as a doctor’s? What happens with your personal data? A research team led by Heidi Mertes, lecturer in medical ethics, will be examining in the coming years the ethical concerns raised by these questions.
Corona continues to rule our lives and activities, after causing over 1.3 million deaths worldwide, of which 15,000 in Belgium. Yet what appears to be reaching unseen and unknown proportions is certainly not the first epidemic to have been felt in this area.
Violence against women, including sexual violence, is a global problem. Unfortunately, this is also the case in Flanders. Moreover, women with a disability are victims much more often than we might think. This is what postdoctoral UGent researcher Tina Goethals discovered.
Kinderoncoloog Bram De Wilde staat met zijn onderzoek mogelijk voor een doorbraak. Ondanks de farma-industrie: "De groep patiënten is te klein voor de farmabedrijven, dus zij investeren er niet in." En dus moest de financiering van elders komen.
If you get cancer, it often means intensive medical treatment right away. But cancer patients are more than just their illness, and treatments are more than just medical help. Professor Tessa Kerre emphasizes the importance of kinder care. The Ghent University reading project is a good example of this.
Many diseases, including neurological ones, cannot be cured as yet, and sometimes medication doesn’t help. Fortunately, there is good news with other treatments, like stimulating cranial nerves. Professor Kristl Vonck explains how it’s possible to treat epilepsy, depression and perhaps even corona using neurostimulation.
“From an infection point of view, we should already have gone to code red in September.” That’s what Professor Steven Callens of UZ Gent says. As head of the Infectious Diseases department, he was one of those who gave advice to the rector about switching to code red. “We are concerned about the health of the students. The virus will only stop through human actions,” he says.
