Big congrats to Albena Jordanova π on receiving the Generet Prize for Rare Diseases and β¬1,000,000 to accelerate research into Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT). @jordanovalab.bsky.social
https://blog.vib.be/1-million-euro-for-research-into-charcot-marie-tooth-disease
#rarediseaseday
Double whopper for Dimitra Sokolova from the @pasciutolab.bsky.social:
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship +
Queen Elisabeth Medical Foundation Young Researcher Award π
https://blog.vib.be/dimitra-sokolova-studies-astrocytes-microglia-and-t-cells-from-autism-to-alzheimers-disease
Congratulations to Bob Asselbergh, who was named runner-up in the Autumn round of the Four Seasons of the Invisible imaging contest hosted by Euro-BioImaging! π
https://www.eurobioimaging.eu/news/congratulations-to-the-winners-of-the-autumn-imaging-contest/
Parkinsonβs may originate in the enteric nervous system, via muscularis macrophages containing misfolded Ξ±-synuclein that develop endolysosomal dysfunction & promote T cell expand/traffic to brain
www.nature.com/articles/s41... @nature.com @soyonhonglab.bsky.social @ucl.ac.uk @cmn-vib.bsky.social
In 2025, eight new genes were linked to peripheral neuropathy, three of these discoveries derive from work done right here in Antwerp, at the @jordanovalab.bsky.social
Postdoc AyΕe Candayan unpacks why collaboration (more than any single technology) helped crack tough cases.
http://prez.ly/825d
This work builds on Seppeβs postdoc research at @ucl.ac.uk / @ukdri.ac.uk , and weβre excited for the next discoveries from his own lab at VIB-UAntwerp Center for Molecular Neurology (CMN), focusing on neuroimmunology in neurodegeneration. @viblifesciences.bsky.social @uantwerpen.be
28.01.2026 16:46 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
The study shows how intestinal macrophages can modulate synucleinopathy along the gut-brain axis, strengthening the growing view that the gut plays an important role in the earliest stages of Parkinsonβs disease.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Fantastic to see this seminal work by Sebastiaan De Schepper published in Nature today. π
https://blog.vib.be/
The 1000 Healthy elderly study is on a roll.
With well over 200 re-inclusions we did well in 2025. π
A big thank you to our participants! π
New year, new job?
The Mancuso lab is looking for a scientist/lab technician to provide hands on support with mouse experiments, molecular biology and cell culture.
π https://jobs.vib.be/j/129010/scientistlab-technician-laboratory-of-microglia-and-inflammation-in-neurological-diseases
Big news this week for Alzheimer research in Flanders! π£
The Flemish government invests β¬16M to validate blood biomarkers for the early detection of AD. Kristel Sleegers will play a leading role in this large-scale collaboration, alongside experts from different Flemish universities and hospitals.
Congrats to Sarah Weckhuysen and her team: the VALUEKCNQ consortium has been funded through ERDERAβs first Joint Transnational Call! π
The project focuses on KCNQ-related developmental and epileptic encephalopathies, advancing preclinical work toward future therapeutic options.
At CMN Day last Monday, we revealed the winners of the CMN Scientific Image Contest 2025. π€©
π Explosions in the sky, by Heidi Denton
π Playing Mikado, by Simona Manzella
π It is a kittycat, by Cindy Keller
Huge congratulations to Rosa Rademakers on receiving the Sean M. Healey International Prize for Innovation in ALS, together with Nancy Bonini (UPenn), Aaron Gitler (Stanford), and Bryan Traynor (NIH/NIA). π
09.12.2025 09:34 β π 2 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Big VIB Technologies delegation in Antwerp today to join for the one and only #CMNday2025. π|
#VIBtechies @cmn-vib.bsky.social
Catching up with colleagues and collaborators over lunch at #CMNday2025 π
08.12.2025 14:55 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Kicking off #CMNday2025 with technology deep dives and updates from the Rademakers and @mancusorenzo.bsky.social labs, by Elise Coopman and Maxim van Hoek. π
@vibtechnologies.bsky.social @viblifesciences.bsky.social
Another local one in our #CMNconsortia series:
We're part of Β΅NEURO, a UAntwerp Research Centre of Excellence uniting neuropathology, genomics, and quantitative multimodal imaging to uncover pathogenic mechanisms in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.
https://tinyurl.com/24vhk8v6
C9orf72 mutations impair immune activation in ALS, highlighting key differences in the cellular and molecular pathways underlying sporadic and genetics forms of the disease
@mancusorenzo.bsky.social @c9laura72.bsky.social @baukje-bij.bsky.social @cmn-vib.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Last Friday, we shared our research with 1st year Master's students at @uantwerpen.be during the Research Day! We loved their genuine interest and look forward to welcoming several of them to our lab next year.
Great to see Ph.D. students Kato and Ella share their love for science! π§ͺ
New paper alert! π¨
The Jordanova lab contributed to a major international study uncovering the genetic cause of a childhood-onset, motor-predominant neuropathy.
The team identified one of the 20 families as part of this multicenter collaboration.
π https://www.jci.org/articles/view/184474
One of the newest consortia we are part of is TRANSGEN.
In this consortium, CMN PIs team up colleagues from the UZA-UAntwerp Center of Medical Genetics to advance the translation of genomic and epigenomic insights into novel biomarkers and innovative therapies.
#CMNcohorts #CMNconsortia
Today, the 2nd European CMT Specialist Conference kicks off, right here in Antwerp! π
The Jordanova lab is well represented with AyΕe Candayan is giving a talk and Akram Khanghahi and Alexandra Ekshteyn are presenting posters
www.uantwerpen.be/en/conferences/2nd-european-cmt-specialist-conference/
Sustainability is a team sport. π
Credits to Sam Sluijs for coordinating the effort here at CMN.
Read more about our approach in this wonderful interview with Sam (pictures by Elisabeth Verwaest).
https://beakon.ghost.io/you-are-not-truly-working-safely-unless-you-are-also-working-sustainably/
Spotlight on Solve-RD: a consortium solving the unsolved in rare diseases π
Sarah Weckhuysen and Vincent Timmerman contribute to Solve-RD, a pan-European effort uniting ERNs, clinicians, patient groups, and -omics experts to crack undiagnosed rare diseases.
#CMNcohorts #CMNconsortia
Proud of this collaboration with Philip Van Dammeβs team: we show that microglia and astrocytes behave differently in sporadic vs. C9orf72 ALS across human tissue, iPSC-derived cells and in vivo xenografts.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
New collaborative paper from the @mancusorenzo.bsky.social lab and Van Damme lab: the brainβs immune response differs in sporadic ALS vs. C9orf72 ALS. π
Recap https://press.vib.be/same-symptoms-different-biology
Paper https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-02075-1
@viblifesciences.bsky.social
We kicked off day 2 of #NHND25 with a session on neuro-inflammation in neurodegeneration, featuring Xiaoying Chen, Katerina Akassoglou, and our very own @seppedeschepper.bsky.social.
10.10.2025 11:38 β π 3 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Interested in the role of T cells in Alzheimerβs? PhD student Amelia is presenting her exciting work at #NHND25 in Leuven. If you are there, check out her poster to learn more!
10.10.2025 05:42 β π 9 π 1 π¬ 1 π 0
