For VIB 2021 was a special year in more than one way. The beginning of the year was marked by the five-year evaluation by the Flemish government and in October we celebrated 25 years of VIB with a festive event. VIB passed the evaluation with flying colors and as a result, we have secured the necessary funding for the next five years. VIB’s 25th anniversary was highlighted with our ‘origin of impact’ campaign, illustrating the societal impact of the research conducted by VIB scientists.
The corona pandemic continued to have a major influence on daily life and the way we work. Depending on the level of contamination, the number of people working in the labs had to be limited, which meant that researchers often had to work in shifts. But nevertheless, 2021 was another fruitful year for top science at VIB. Further on in the annual report, you can find a selection of some important scientific publications. Some evocative examples are a single-cell atlas of tumors that may allow us to predict how breast cancer tumors will respond to immunotherapy, the discovery and refinement of a heavy chain-only antibody with strong anti-COVID activity, and a new approach to prevent Alzheimer’s cognitive problems in mice by suppressing the expression of the protein Synaptogyrin-3.
The VIB Grand Challenges Program launched its first citizen science project ‘Soy in 1,000 gardens’ aimed at introducing soy as a sustainable crop in Flanders. More than 1,000 citizens contributed to the project by growing soy in their gardens.
In 2021, a new core facility was established: the VIB Single Cell Core. This new facility offers single-cell omics workflows to the entire VIB research community and beyond. Another important milestone on the technology front is the CAR-T initiative in collaboration with imec and UZGent to set up a spin-out company developing a device for high-throughput, multi-parameter characterization and selection of potent CAR-T cells.
Thanks to the work of VIB’s Innovation & Business team two new start-ups were created: Muna Therapeutics and Protealis. Muna Therapeutics focuses on the discovery and development of therapies that slow or stop devastating neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s, Frontotemporal Dementia, and Parkinson’s. Protealis on the other hand develops superior seeds and seed technologies for legume crops that are adapted to our local environment.
VIB stays true to its mission to have a substantial, positive societal impact and will continue to do so for the years to come.
