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Brad Van Paridon: Bart, I’ve read you’re into fly fishing! Is it something new or something you’ve done for a while?
Bart Lambrecht: “It’s something I’ve done since I was a kid. But I live in Belgium, where there are no fly-fishing opportunities. So for a very long time, I was only dreaming about fly fishing—trying it out in ponds where there were virtually no fish to catch. But I persisted! Part of the hobby of fly fishing is also making your own flies. That kept me busy for about the first 10 years.
“Then, through my scientific career, I started visiting countries like the US, Canada, and Australia, where there are plenty of opportunities. So, this hobby really kicked off when I became a scientist. Basically every meeting I go to, I try to add in an extra day of fly fishing. People think I’m carrying a poster, but it’s actually a fly rod [laughs].”
Brad: You have a very interesting career that bridges these two worlds: working in the hospital with patients and doing fundamental basic research. Do you often see things in the lab that you think can help your patients, or something in the clinic where you’re like: “I need to look at that in the lab!”?
Bart: “This happens all the time! It’s the advantage of having access to a basic science lab and the necessary infrastructure, along with the experience of seeing patients and knowing many colleague physicians.
“There are tens of examples every year where we see something in the clinic and then take that material to the lab to try to understand what is happening. And vice versa: we might observe results in animal studies and can rapidly validate them in patients. It is the fun part of being a physician-scientist: you can make that bridge very quickly.”
Brad: From your perspective as both clinician and scientist, what does it take to move a fundamental discovery toward something that can help patients?
Bart: “Fundamental research is absolutely at the basis of discovery. But what I’ve come to realize over my career—now almost 30 years in science and in translational science—is that it takes much more than a basic science discovery.
“It’s something I’ve only learned recently, in the last 10 years, I would say: how much it takes to go from discovery, to a first-in-man trial, to a patient being treated with your idea. It’s very gratifying, but it’s a huge effort involving many people, disciplines, and expertise.
“This is really one of the strengths of VIB, that they make this possible. I’m very happy being at VIB and UGent, I really love it here.”
Brad: I can imagine when you see patients and study diseases, there’s both a human urgency and a scientific fascination. Are both sides motivating for you: wanting to find the cure for the patient, but also because it’s a fascinating puzzle?
Bart: “Absolutely, that’s really the heart of being a scientist. It’s being fascinated when you discover something. I had a couple of emotional moments in my career because you know ‘this is going to make a difference’.
“These are very rare moments but they’re what drive motivation in basic science. The intrinsic beauty of discovery.”
Listen to the full episode of Called to Science for more insights on balancing clinical work with scientific discovery, the parallels between fly-fishing and research, and how curiosity continues to drive innovation in medicine.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
About the podcast
Called to Science is produced by VIB. Each episode features candid conversations with scientists and innovators, exploring the personal stories behind scientific careers and discoveries. Check out the full series on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
