ULB, UCLouvain, Université de Montréal
" OBJ: 1) Observe interprofessional and interorganisational collaboration "in the making" in crisis situation: how professional groups organize and collaborate (within and between professional groups) in different organizational contexts (liberal practice, primary care delivery services, hospitals, nursing homes, etc.) especially for vulnerable groups. 2) Analyse the role of regulatory bodies governmental agencies, professional associations) in managing healthcare professions and interprofessional collaboration in crisis situations 3)Improving future care and the resilience of health systems METH: Collection and analysis of documents (instructions, tools, etc.), qualitative interviews, in situ observations. Developing Grounded theory "
Funding: Research team is part of BeHive - Interdisciplinary primary care Chair, funded by the King Baudouin Foundation (Fund Dr. Daniel De Coninck)
Contact: celine.j.mahieu@ulb.be

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

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 amatagne@uliege.be 

UCLouvain
" Breath4Life is a voluntary, non-profit, and open source effort by a distributed team of engineers, doctors, industry players, to design, test and spread medical ventilators - low cost but as close as possible to existing medical devices. Starting from international standards and guidances, we designed and tested successfully functional prototypes with Volume Controlled Ventilation for intubated patients. We now focus on more advanced modes (including respiratory assistance for patients breathing spontaneously), on intensive testing, and on writing the documentation required for supporting partners around the world to adapt, build and validate their replica. "
Contact: http://breath4life.org/ 

ULiège, CIRM - Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium
" The pandemic has highlighted a critical need of local production of essential drugs used in first-line emergency care of COVID-19 patients. The present consortium has developed a dedicated unit to address this need (both organic synthesis and quality control) following strict quality assurance rules observed by the pharmaceutical industry. The pandemic has highlighted a critical need of local production of essential drugs used in first-line emergency care of COVID-19 patients. The present consortium has developed a dedicated unit to address this need (both organic synthesis and quality control) following strict quality assurance rules observed by the pharmaceutical industry. "
Contact: Prof. Marianne FILLET, CIRM Director, University of Liège https://www.cirm.uliege.be marianne.fillet@uliege.be

ULB
" The aim is to develop and validate a numerical model of a human lung to predict its degeneration over time, in order to provide better knowledge and further info for decision-making to the clinician, addressing both the treatment and the follow-up of the patients after the pathology. "
Contact: bernardo.innocenti@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 and Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc - FNRS
" Anosmia has been reported to be a major symptom of COVID-19. Since high viral loads are found in the nasal cavity of patients and since single-cell analyses found that olfactory sustentacular and stem cells highly express ACE2 and TMPRSS2, it is suspected that cells of the olfactory neuroepithelium are a preferred target of the virus. Some COVID-19 patients present with neurological symptoms. Interestingly, it has been reported that the former SARS-CoV, can ascend intracranially, possibly via the olfactory nerves. Since olfactory receptor neurons form a direct connection between the nasal cavity and the brain, we hypothesize that these cells act as a gateway towards the brain in some patients. The main aims of the projects are (1) to investigate the pathophysiology of COVID-related olfactory dysfunction and (2) to investigate whether olfactory receptor neurons could be the entry site of SARS-CoV2 to the brain. "
Funding...

Read more: Caroline Huart, MD, PhD - Bernard Hanseeuw, MD, PhD - Valérie Hox, MD, PhD - Pascal...

GIGA - ULiège - FNRS
" Covid-19 is associated with a high risk of thrombotic disease, both in the venous and arterial circulations. As President of the Belgian Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis (BSTH), I am coordinating the creation of national algorithms for thromboprophylaxis and anticoagulation of Covid-19 patients by a group of experts. These algorithms will be included in the Sciensano Covid-19 guidelines. "
Publication References: In preparation
Contact: Cécile Oury, PhD President of the Belgian Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis Research Director F.R.S.-FNRS Head of the Laboratory of Cardiology GIGA-Cardiovascular Sciences University of Liège (B34) 1 Avenue de l'Hôpital 4000 Liège (Sart-Tilman) Belgium Tel: +32 (0)4 366 24 87 cecile.oury@uliege.be

UNamur
" In vitro studies will investigate the abilities of SARS-Cov-2 to enter various types of human neurons (cell lines and iPS-derived) and possible axoplasmic transport. In the meantime, analysis of post-mortem CNS and PNS samples from COVID patients would strengthen the hypothesis of SARS-Cov-2 neuro-tropism. "
Funding: CUR-FNRS (pending)
Contact: charles.nicaise@unamur.be

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

ULiège CEIB
" Expert services for Federal Agency of Drug and Medical products "
Contact: C.Grandfils@uliege.be

ULB 
" Aim: To describe and understand the consequences of the pandemy in a french-speaking teaching hospital a) on the nursing care b) on the nurse-patient interaction. Methods : qualitative research "
Funding: None
Contact: dan.lecocq@ulb.be