ULB and European Center for prevention and Control of Diseases fellow - FNRS
" In support of clinical biology laboratories, the ULB has set up a diagnostic plateform in both Erasmus and Gosselies campus to face the epidemic of SARS-CoV2. The diagnosis relies on the detection of viral RNA in nasal swab. The COVID plateform has the capacity to analyse 500 samples per day, 7 days a week and relies on the expertise and skill of more than 200 volunteers. "
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Comment: List of all the volunteers who are working in the COVID plateform

ULB, CHU Saint-Pierre, Hôpital Erasme, ULiège - FNRS

" The project investigates the immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans. Cohorts of patients and contacts are recruited and followed-up during several months following infection. Using systems serology and systems biology approaches, the quality and dynamics of antibody and cellular responses are analysed to identify correlates of protection against severe disease and to determine the duration of natural immunity to the virus. The project should provide insight in the host response to SARS-CoV-2 and should help define deconfinement strategies and develop prophylactic and therapeutic interventions against COVID-19. "
Funding: COVID 19 - ULB
Contact: Arnaud Marchant: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Stanislas Goriely: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ULB

Sphère publique, sphère privée : Impact du port du masque sur la reconnaissance des personnes et de l'expression émotionnelle de leur visage. " Le déconfinement approche. Bientôt la population belge sillonnera à nouveau les rues, les transports et l'ensemble de l'espace public mais munie de masques. Quels retentissements sur la capacité des personnes à en reconnaître d'autres sur base de leur visage et à en extraire l'expression émotionnelle ? Sera-t-on toujours capable de juger, de manière efficace, de l'intention d'autrui à notre égard même si cette dernière porte un masque ? A tous les âges ? Ou, au contraire, a-t-on raison d'avoir la suspicion que le port du masque pourrait nous empêcher de reconnaître quelqu'un sur base de son visage et d'en lire les émotions de manière efficace ? "
Publication References: de Heering, A., & Rossion, B. (2008). Prolonged Visual Experience in Adulthood Modulates Holistic Face Perception. PlosOne, 3(5): e2317. de Heering, A., &amp...

Read more: Adélaïde de Heering, Post-doctoral Fellow

Protein Factory - ULiège
" At Protein Factory, the protein expression and purification facility of the Centre for Protein Engineering (CIP; ULiège), we have produced proteins for COVID-19 diagnostics. Thus, in a collaborative effort with the GIGA Institute at ULiège (Haruko Takeda, in particular), we have been involved in the implementation of alternative rapid and reliable tests, based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assays, which both appear as promising alternative to the standard quantitative reverse transcription (qRT) PCR procedure. In addition, for the sake of increased reliability, the CRISPR-Cas12 / Cas13 reporter detection systems have also been implemented. In order not to depend on commercial products, we produced at Protein Factory all the enzymes necessary to perform these tests internally, regardless of any supply shortage or price inflation. Thus, the following enzymes are now available at the CIP for...

Read more: Alain Brans, Fabrice Bouillenne, Iris Tham, Anne-Marie Matton, Moreno Galleni, André Matagne

UMONS/ Haute école Condorcet/ UCLouvain/ Epicura/ Machine sight
" In view of the risk of a respirator shortage in intensive care units throughout the world following the COVID 19 epidemic, a simple solution based on existing means or means that are easy to implement is being sought by a consortium of respiratory physiotherapists, researchers of UMONS, physicians of the the intensive care unit of the Epicura hospital and a mechatronics engineering company. In view of the risk of a respirator shortage in intensive care units throughout the world following the COVID 19 epidemic, a simple solution based on existing means or means that are easy to implement is being sought by a consortium of respiratory physiotherapists, researchers of UMONS, physicians of the the intensive care unit of the Epicura hospital and a mechatronics engineering company. "
Funding: internal funding
Contact: Pr. Alexandre Legrand, head of the laboratory of Physiology and Respiratory Rehabilitation...

Read more: Alexandre Legrand, Professor

ULiège - Royal Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium
"The Centre for Protein Engineering (CIP, ULiège), through its two technological platforms, has been involved in the production of reagents (i.e. proteins) for diagnostic and analyses of SARSCoV-2 infection. In particular, Protein Factory has produced a pure and highly active enzyme (CAS12) for a CRISPR/CAS assay, which, in combination with classical PCR technology allows rapid detection of the virus. Automated screening is currently performed at Robotein for optimal formulation of CAS12. The production of complementary protein reagents for such tests is underway. Furthermore, in a collaborative effort with Dr Arnaud Marchant at Institut d'Immunologie Médicale (ULB), the CIP is involved in the design and production of recombinant SARS-COV-2 antigens towards the development of a platform for high dimensional systems serology analysis of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies."
Contact: André Matagne This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

UCLouvain - FNRS
" We intend to evaluate the applicability of muon tomography for rapid and non-invasive monitoring of lung status in patients with acute pneumonia. This enhances treatment and helps to manage the flow of patients in an epidemic situation. Muons are elementary particles, freely and naturally produced in cosmic-rays interactions in the upper atmosphere. A collaboration has recently been set up between the muon tomography group of UCLouvain, the University of Tartu (UT), the National Institute for Chemical Physics and Biophysics (NICTP) in Tallinn, and the start-up company GScan, to study a new approach in muon tomography. Although originally developed for the detection of explosives and drugs in luggage-size objects (patent application PCT / EP2019 / 055333, deposited by the Estonian partners), we have indications that this method can be used to assess the lung status of covid-19 patients. The advantages of the method are: it is sensitive to material and density, there...

Read more: Andrea Giammanco, FNRS Senior Research Associate

UNamur - FNRS
" Professors and researches from the Department of Mathematics and the naXys research institute of complex systems at UNamur gathered their skills and expertise in mathematical modeling, dynamic systems, statistics, control theory and numerical optimization to develop prediction and unlockdown monitoring models of the Covid-19 epidemic. They set up a consortium in mathematical modeling of the Covid-19 epidemic bringing together all the universities of the Wallonia Brussels Federation, in synergy with its equivalent in Flanders. "
Contact: Annick Sartenaer (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) Alexandre Mauroy (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) Nicolas Franco (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) Sébastien Clesse (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) Morgane Dumont (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

UNamur - Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium - Royal Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium
" UNamur researchers have developed a procedure for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. The protocol has been approved by the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP). As successfully realized within UNamur, the method can be implemented in a molecular biology research lab to be used for diagnostic purposes on clinical samples. It requires little technological development and allows to overcome reagents shortage or availability of automated systems. To support the implementation of the diagnostic procedure, the required equipment and logistical means have been described in a "starting pack" document accompanying the protocol. "
Publication References: The protocol and starting pack can be downloaded here: https://www.narilis.be/news/sana-sars-cov-2-namur
Contact: Virginie Bourguignon This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ULB 
" Within the INOCS team (ULB and INRIA Lille), we currently build expertise on methods to develop optimal design of group testing experiments. "
Contact: Bernard Fortz This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ULB
" Contribution to the realization of Covid-19 diagnosis by PCR We are involved in the diagnosis of Covid-19 at ULB (Erasmus Campus) by coordinating and contributing to two steps of the flow required to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in swaps. "
Publication References: /
Contact: Carine Truyens Lab of Parasitology - Faculty of Medicine - ULB Erasmus Campus ctruyens#ulb.ac.be

ULB
"Our objectives are: • To study maternal and neonate COVID-19 information in the Belgian-Obstetric Surveillance System database: clinical presentation and natural history of disease, pregnancy-related basic information, pregnancy outcomes, birth characteristics, infant morbidity and mortality. • To study the core socio-demographic information to potentially identify groups at higher risk of complications • Build a more informative dataset thanks to data mining of public databases This study will enable us to understand the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women and their offspring in Belgium, and in the world via the contribution to the INOSS multicenter study. It might allow us to define an at-risk population among pregnant women and their offspring, and tailor epidemiologic and clinical interventions for these more vulnerable individuals."
Funding: Pending (FNRS)
Publication References: "1. The International Network of Obstetric Survey Systems study of uterine rupture: a...

Read more: Caroline Daelemans, Professor

ULB
" COVerT Our aim is to delineate more accurately the prevalence of the infection in the pregnant population and study vertical transmission in the cord blood of babies born to mothers with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Determination of prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in mothers by combined universal screening: presence of antibodies (IgG and IgM or IgA) in their blood and/or a positive RT-PCR in the nasopharyngeal swab. We intend to detect evidence of vertical transmission by the identification of SARS-CoV-2 specific IgM or IgA in cord blood samples. If there is evidence of vertical transmission, the analysis of the consequences depending on infection timing during pregnancy will enable us to guide management more precisely. "
Funding: pending FNRS
Publication References: "1. Delforge ML, Costa E, Brancart F, Goldman D, Montesinos I, Zaytouni S, Marchant A, Donner C Presence of cytomegalovirus in urine and blood of pregnant women with primary infection might be associated...

Read more: Caroline Daelemans, Professor

UCLouvain, St-Luc
" We aim to characterize the reprogramming of structural cells of the lungs that are direct targets of the SARS-CoV-2, namely type 2 alveolar epithelial cells and endothelial cells, as well as their potential role in the induction of the (hyper)inflammatory phase of the disease leading to acute lung injury. The skills of our laboratory in lung and mucosal immunology research that are relevant to this field are (1) access to precious human lung tissue (e.g. from SARS-CoV-2 patients), (2) multiplex immunofluorescence staining and isolation of structural cells (e.g. alveolar epithelial cells, endothelial cells) from the human lung, as well as (3) their characterization using cell culture-based readouts and (in collab. with the UCL-CTMA) genetic sequencing. "
Funding: FNRS CUR, application submitted on 01-05-20.
Publication References: 1. Gohy ST, Hupin C, Fregimilicka C, Detry BR, Bouzin C, Gaide Chevronay H, Lecocq M, Weynand B, Ladjemi MZ, Pierreux CE, Birembaut P...

Read more: Charles Pilette, Professor

UMONS - FNRS
" I bring my expertise to help a company, Magnetrap SA, in developing a portable diagnostic tool to detect the ARN of the virus in a small blood sample "
Contact: Christophe Caucheteur