Scientists have discovered an essential mechanism in the spread of cancer. A team led by professor Massimiliano Mazzone (VIB-KU Leuven) and professor Alessandra Castegna (University of Bari) has demonstrated a way to alter the metabolism of macrophages, a particular type of white blood cell often responsible for supporting tumor growth. They found that reducing the glutamine levels of these macrophages changes their behavior: instead of supporting cancer, the macrophages change back into ‘good’ cells and fight the disease. These groundbreaking findings potentially offer new strategies for immunotherapy. The conclusions of the study are published in the leading scientific journal Cell Reports. 

Bioengineers at Ghent University have managed to protect wheat and rice from diseases by using substances made by plants themselves that spread the scent of freshly mown grass.

Under guidance of MINT, the Belgian PCR automation software company is one out of two Belgian companies to be granted and part of 36 grantees amongst 507 requests.

Galapagos announces positive topline results with its autotaxin inhibitor GLPG1690 in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in the FLORA Phase 2a trial.

Researchers from Ghent University Hospital have forced a breakthrough in the fight against intestinal fibrosis, a complication that occurs especially in patients with Crohn's disease. Today, intestinal fibrosis - the development of scar tissue in the intestines – can only be corrected with surgery. With a new drug, which first has to be tested extensively, this can possibly be avoided.

iTeos Therapeutics SA, announced that it has been granted EUR 7.5 million in non-dilutive funding to support the clinical development of its lead anti-cancer drug. The funding has been approved on behalf of the Walloon Region by Mr. Jean-Claude Marcourt, Minister for Economy, Industry, Innovation and New technologies.

The fast track designation would allow caplacuzimab to enter the market 6 to 10 months earlier

Two BioWin projects were launched a few weeks ago. The first of these, “TreatBest”, involves a consortium made up of Diagenode, IDDI, the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), the Institut Jules Bordet and the University of Liège.

Ablynx announced that it has entered into a research collaboration and global exclusive licensing agreement with Sanofi initially focused on developing and commercialising Nanobody®-based therapeutics for the treatment of various immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.

SHRINK study to evaluate the synergetic effect of the concurrent administration of CYAD-01 (CAR-T NKG2D) with standard chemotherapy in patients suffering from metastatic colorectal cancer.

In a discovery with broad implications for the specialty chemicals industries like pharmaceuticals, researchers at Rice University and the California Institute of Technology have succeeded in a decades-long quest to make left- and right-handed versions of a molecular sieve, one of the most-used industrial, solid materials.

Ensuring safe working conditions for all employees in the biotech industry in Belgium, is the joint ambition of bio.be/essenscia, the federation of Belgian life sciences companies, and the Belgian Biosafety Professionals (BBP), the professional association of experts in biosafety. Both organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate more closely on safety aspects in biotechnology, for employees in both R&D and production.