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Public health

Biomedical/pharma, Immunology, Infectious disease, Personal/public health, Public health

Record-breaking pollen levels linked to increased risk of COVID-19

Increased pollen concentrations are correlated with higher rates of COVID-19. Hot on the heels of record-breaking European pollen counts, this comes as bad news for a continent struggling with the ongoing health crisis. The large-scale study, conducted by an international team headed by researchers in Germany, suggested people protect themselves by keeping an eye on pollen forecasts and wearing particle filtering masks this spring.

Preventive saliva test for detecting the COVID-19 virus is now available to companies and organizations

Ghent, Belgium, 23 February 2021 - The Ghent company Biogazelle and the medical laboratory Labo Nuytinck (Ghent, Evergem), together with several Flemish companies, have developed a PCR platform with which thousands of saliva samples can be tested daily for the COVID-19 virus. The saliva test costs a third of a classic test.

One year of COVID-19: a look back at 2020 and where we are now

One year on from the emergence of SARS-COV-2 in Wuhan, China, this novel coronavirus continues to devastate the world. Since then, COVID-19 has reached every continent and touched all of our lives. In this article, we take the chance to assess the situation going into 2021 and look back on the first year of the pandemic.

UAntwerp researchers find cause for mysterious nodding syndrome

For decades, researchers have been trying to uncover the cause of nodding syndrome, a mysterious and deadly form of epilepsy that only affects children on the African continent. In a collaboration between Belgian and African scientists, researchers from the University of Antwerp have now discovered the root cause of the disease. In a cascade of events, nodding syndrome is triggered by another disease called river blindness, which in turn is caused by parasitic worms spread by blackfly bites. As complicated as it sounds, this is great news for the children, as it means that nodding syndrome can easily be controlled by administering the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin and exterminating blackflies.

Can Darwin’s theory explain why we get sick?

While physicians care for their individual patients and are interested in the factors contributing to the individual’s condition, evolutionary biologists investigate the cause of the biological phenomenon, trying to understand for example why a certain disease has developed in a particular species such as our own Homo sapiens. By combining the view of physicians with the view of evolutionary biologists, the field of evolutionary medicine has the potential to improve our understanding of certain diseases and how to prevent them.

The opioid epidemic: solutions to a painful problem

Opioid misuse is a public health crisis that has resulted in debilitation, deaths, and significant social and economic impact. The epidemic has been fueled by widespread abuse of prescription opioids and a dramatic increase in the availability of illicit opioids such as heroin. In this article, we examine some steps to overcoming this issue and improving the way we treat pain.

To prevent another pandemic, we need to improve our relationship with animals

How changing diets gave rise to the world’s deadliest diseases

In a recent article, we discussed how the most prescribed drugs are usually indicated for common noncommunicable diseases. These include chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, GERD and mental health issues. Regarding treatment innovation, these prevalent diseases are often underserved when compared to less common, but more profitable, orphan diseases. In this article, we look at some of the underlying factors causing these noncommunicable diseases and what could be done to prevent them.

TheSocialMedwork: equal access to medicines for everyone, everywhere

We recently sat down with Sjaak Vink, the visionary entrepreneur behind TheSocialMedwork. This enterprise gives patients all over the world access to medication that has not yet been approved in their home countries. We spoke with Vink about his personal motivations for founding TheSocialMedwork and his dream for universal basic healthcare.

Belgian clinical trials for COVID-19

With COVID-19 cases soaring into the millions, and a vaccine still a long way off, patients are desperate for a treatment. In response, numerous clinical trials have been initiated around the world. The majority of these trials are examining existing drugs to see if they can be repurposed to treat COVID-19. We spoke with Prof. Bart Lambrecht, pulmonologist at Ghent University Hospital (UZ Gent), about some of the clinical trials taking place here in Belgium.

Biogazelle initiates large-scale testing of COVID-19 in Belgium

Ghent, Belgium, April 2, 2020 - Biogazelle NV, a CRO specialized in RNA analytics, has announced the initiation of large-scale testing of patient samples for SARS-CoV-2. Biogazelle is providing one of the multiple testing sites in a government-led consortium of pharma, biotech, IT and academia, alongside Janssen Pharmaceutica (J&J), GSK, UCB, UgenTec, MIPS and ThermoFisher.

Potential impact of the corona crisis on the life sciences industry

Over the past few months, every news headline has focused on COVID-19. The industry is accelerating its own in-house research to match the pace of the pandemic. The business development market is wide open, as large and mid-sized pharma companies are interested in partnering with early stage initiatives to advance investigational COVID-19 programs (in addition to pursuing their own in-house activities).

ElmediX wants to stop coronavirus by heating patients in a controlled manner

Mechelen, Belgium, 24 March 2020 - The coronavirus has brought the whole world to a standstill. The Belgian company ElmediX wants to contain the virus with intensive heat treatments for corona patients. Controlled heating to 41.5 °C for three hours can inactivate the virus and activate the patient's immune system. ElmediX has launched a call to researchers and doctors and makes the technology available in the fight against the coronavirus.

Janssen Pharmaceutica and Filliers Distillery make disinfectant hand gel

Pharmaceutical company Janssen Pharmaceutica and gin distillery Filliers Distillery are making disinfectant hand gel from Sunday. They will distribute it among the Belgian hospitals.

Professors of Product Development from UAntwerp are looking at emergency production of mouth masks

At the University of Antwerp, twelve product developers are working day and night to develop oral masks. "Together with industrial partners, we try to set up an emergency production for protective equipment for health workers during this corona crisis".