U-CRI • Center for Research in Immunology

News list

Recent publication: Gut Microbiota and the Neonatal Immune system

July 06th 2020 - 14:47

At birth, when neonate meets for the first time its external environment, the immune system is dominated by anti-inflammatory responses. This phenomenon called « neonatal tolerance », long described as being due to the immaturity of the immune system, is actually crucial to avoid the development of excessive and deleterious responses that can be harmful. However, neonates are also facing a lot of dangerous pathogens he has to fight. Therefore, induction of immune protection is as well essential in early life. The maintenance of this dynamic balance between tolerance and protection is a...

Recent publication: Immune Dysfunction in Liver diseases

June 29th 2020 - 15:48

In western countries, liver cirrhosis is generally caused by chronic alcohol consumption. It is responsible for almost 170.000 deaths annually in Europe. Bacterial infections are often responsible for the progression of the disease and death of these patients. However, the mechanisms leading to this immunodeficient state are not well understood. In a recent work published in the Journal of Hepatology, the teams of Gastro-enterology of Erasme Hospital (led by Thierry Gustot) and the Institute for Medical Immunology (led by Stanislas Goriely) studied the immune function of these high-risk...

Belgium invests in contained facility and laboratories for testing vaccines

May 25th 2020 - 10:49

UAntwerp and ULB collaborating in unique project to accelerate vaccine development

Developing vaccines for unknown pathogens and testing their efficacy is one of the most important challenges facing the global community today. The Belgian Federal Government is investing 20 million euros in a contained facility and laboratories for ‘human challenge’ studies, a major tool in the vaccine development process. The University of Antwerp and the Université libre de Bruxelles will join forces for this unique project.

Vaccines have been one of the most significant achievements of modern medicine....