Research

Our mission

We want to force a breakthrough in the cure of neuronal and neurodegenerative disorders. This requires a deep understanding of normal brain function and translation of this knowledge into a solid mechanistic understanding of disease mechanisms. 

Truly innovative research in translational medicine is born at the interface of excellent basic and medical-oriented research, which is why we focus on both. We study the mechanisms of major neuronal diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, frontotemporal dementia, dystonia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Our fundamental research questions focus on proteopathic stress, protein-lipid interactions and neuronal trafficking systems; but we tackle these questions in the context of synapse biology, brain wiring and inflammation, and in light of specific cell types and cellular heterogeneity.

Our research center is part of VIB and KU Leuven and is located at campus Gashuisberg in Leuven. Read more about us in our 2018 overview brochure.

Beyond borders

A lot of our research projects are conducted in close partnership with other research groups around the world. Additionally, we have close and ongoing collaborations with our colleagues at our two host institutes, VIB & KU Leuven, including NERF and UZ Leuven.

Funding & partners

Our research is supported by the Flemish government and several (inter)national funding bodies but also by numerous charity organisations that recognise the importance of combining fundamental and clinical research to generate therapeutic breakthroughs.