UMONS ; FabLab Mons ; Fab-C Charleroi Métropole ; FabLab Wapi
" Visors for face masks produced at FabLab Mons. In collaboration with Fab-C Charleroi Métropole and FabLab Wapi, FabLab Mons is currently producing visors for nursing staff. These visors extend the life of the masks by preventing splash contamination. This has been made possible with the financial support of the FRMH and the donation of transparent sheets from multiple organisations, which has enabled the FabLab to distribute several thousand visors (23,000+ distributed to date) to medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, nursing home staff, opticians and audiologists. "
Contact: FabLab Mons https://fablabmons.be This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Hôpital Erasme and ULB - Faculty of medicine
" A translational prospective research project was initiated to characterize longitudinally the immune responses of patients with COVID-19, to identify the mechanisms underlying progression to severe disease. Blood samples are collected at three different time points from two groups of patients, those with a flu-like disease, and those with respiratory symptoms (mild to severe). They are stored in a biobank after appropriate treatment to be further available for different research projects. The first one will focus on the characterization of the phenotype of innate cells (dendritic cells, monocytes, NK cells) and T lymphocyte subpopulations, and on the analysis of the concentrations of IFN-a and a panel of other cytokines, to investigate the importance of the kinetic of pDC mobilization and type I IFN production before the appearance of the cytokine storm. "
Funding: - ULB - COVID-19 special call - FNRS - crédit urgent de recherche...

Read more: Françoise Mascart, Professor - Véronique Del Marmol, Professor - Véronique Corbière, Doctor

ULiège - GREEnMat laboratory
" Development of a new and fast method for the production of magnetic nanobeads for virus RNA extraction for performing PCR test. We produced more the 500,000 doses for federal testing center and our product has been widly used in Belgium and out of our borders. We aslo develop a method for producing high quantities of lysis buffer, guanidine thiocyanate (hundred liters/week), to release RNA from the virus and allow extraction. "
Contact: Dr BOSCHINI Frédéric Laboratoire GREEnMat University of Liège This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 0032-4-366-35-32

ULiège et ULB 
" Belgium, like a large part of the world, is affected by the pandemic of the infectious disease called Covid-19, which is due to the spread of a coronavirus. In this extraordinary context, strong measures have been taken by the different authorities that make up the Belgian federal structure. This "Courrier hebdomadaire" intends to provide some initial legal observations on the way the Belgian State, with its institutional specificities, has begun to react to this extraordinary situation. It covers the period from 12 March to 30 March, during which Belgium gradually saw the establishment of an unprecedented peacetime emergency regime. The contribution is based on four observations. Firstly, the Belgian State has taken strong measures that meet its legal obligation to react to a risk to life of the Belgian citizens. Secondly, providing a centralised response to the health crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic is, in Belgium, complicated because of the existing division...

Read more: Frédéric Bouhon, Professor - Andy Jousten, PhD candidate - Xavier Miny, PhD candidate - Emmanuel...

UNamur
" The main scientific question of this project aims to understand this inter-individual variability in the response to 2019-nCoV in human population, first during ageing process, second among population of same age. The first hypothesis that will be tested in this project is that epigenetic differences among human population can, at least partly, explain differences in the individual responses to SARS-CoV-2, and that this virus differentially affects the epigenome of different individuals during the infection. The second hypothesis that will be tested is that changes in the epigenome during ageing could increase the susceptibility of patients to SARS-CoV-2. "
Funding: To be searched
Publication References: - Fellous A, Earley RL, Silvestre F. Identification and expression of mangrove rivulus (Kryptolebias marmoratus) histone deacetylase (HDAC) and lysine acetyltransferase (KAT) genes. Gene, 691 (2019), 56-69. - Fellous A, Earley RL, Silvestre F. The Kdm/Kmt gene families in...

Read more: Frédéric Silvestre, Professor

ULiège
" Research Paper and associated expertise regarding the setup of a private equity fund aimed at collecting and pooling households' savings in order to restore the solvency of companies hit by the Covid-19 crisis through the subscription of preferred shares "
Publication References: Hübner, G. (2020), "Efficient Resource Allocation in the Context of the Coronavirus Crisis: Towards a Private Equity Fund Financed by Collective Savings", Revue Bancaire et Financière, Online edition 2020/4, 13 p.
Contact: https://www.financialforum.be/fr/articles/efficient-resource-allocation-context-coronavirus-crisis-towards-private-equity-fund

UCLouvain/IREC/MBLG
" The objective of this project is to perform SARS CoV-2 infection of cells from Vero E6 line. With a view to -Study the information of the infection on the immune activation pathways and the metabolic pathways within the cells - Perform virus viability assays in different environments and analyze the effectiveness of the hygiene measures taken to prevent transmission of the virus into the environment. - Study the neutralization and the cytopathogenic effect by antibodies from clinical samples "
Funding: own funding
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Professor UCLouvain/Cliniques universitaires St-Luc This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., PhD UCLouvain

ULB
" Support of federal exit strategy team on the problem of short term forecasting of new hospitalizations "
Contact: mlg.ulb.ac.be  
Comment: Collaboration with Pr. M. Gilbert, member of GEES

ULB- FNRS
" This project aims at developing soluble anti-SARS-CoV-2 virus immunoglobins (IgM and IgG) detection systems based on calixarene coated silver nanoparticles functionalized with viral antigens. These particles could advantageously replace gold nanoparticles (10x more efficient in light extinction) in Lateral Flow ImmunoAssays and Immunoturbidimetry tests. "
Funding: ULB Special COVID-19 Call
Publication References: "Controlled Functionalisation of Gold Nanoparticles with Mixtures of Calix[4]arenes revealed by Infra-red Spectroscopy". Valkenier, H.; Malytskyi, V.; Blond, P.; Retout, M.; Mattiuzzi, A.; Goole, J.; Raussens, V.; Jabin, I.; Bruylants, G., Langmuir 2017, 33, 8253-8259. "Extremely robust and post-functionalizable gold nanoparticles coated with calix[4]arenes via metal–carbon bonds". Troian-Gautier, L.; Valkenier, H.; Mattiuzzi, A.; Jabin, I.; Van den Brande, N.; Van Mele, B.; Hubert, J.; Reniers, F.; Bruylants, G.; Lagrost, C.; Leroux, Y., Chem. Commun. 2016, 52...

Read more: Gilles Bruylants, Professor - Ivan Jabin, Professor - Vincent Raussens, Professor

ULB
" Learning from the curve is a voluntary and open source research project on COVID-19 and economics. It is a joint initiative of researchers in economics at ECARES, Solvay, ULB. Our mission is to provide detailed and real-time information and visualizations on COVID-19 and economics for the general public and the press, to serve as a platform for research collaboration on these topics, to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the economic tissue of countries and regions, to provide policy recommendations based on scientific arguments supported by data analytics. Learning from the curve started as a voluntary effort of faculty and students in empirical economics at ECARES. We are also very grateful for funding from the Special COVID-19 ULB grant. None of this would be possible without either. We call data from various sources, which are referenced in the respective dashboards and articles. We provide data sources and code on our Github organization. All publicly available data, code...

Read more: Glenn Magerman, Professor - Mathias Dewatripont, Professor - Bram De Rock, Professor

UCLouvain
" According to current guidelines from several health organization, the use of (homemade) textile face masks is recommended in order to slow the spread of the COVID-19. Currently, however, guidelines are very limited regarding the textiles to use (for the envelope), and the best suited filter material to be used in these types of masks. The general goal of this project is to provide reliable, consistent and science-based recommendations and guidelines about the preferred design for (homemade) textile face masks, as well as about the preferred materials to use for the textile envelope and the filter material. We will first determine the microstructure of different materials, giving us information on the filter efficiency (mechanical) and breathability of different materials and masks. Then, we will investigate the variability in filter efficiency and breathability of different material combinations. Finally, we will assess the aging of the filter material under humid...

Read more: Greet Kerckhofs, Professor

UCLouvain
" This research project aims at studying the conditions under which the modern welfare state could build a kind of epidemics insurance, while paying a particular attention to the issue of fairness. The global objective of saving lives may be associated to policies that have undesirable distributive effects, against ideals of social justice. The project aims at finding ways to make mass prevention and equity compatible. "
Funding: This project will be part of my research load at UCLouvain, within the Hoover Chair in Economic ans Social Ethics.
Publication References: Fleurbaey, M., Ponthiere, G. (2013). Prevention against Equality ? Journal of Public Economics. Fleurbaey, M., Leroux, ML, Ponthiere, G. (2014). Compensating the dead. Journal of Mathematical Economics. Fleurbaey, M., Leroux, ML., Pestieau, P., Ponthiere G. (2016). Fair retirement under risk lifetime. International Economic Review. Leroux, ML., Ponthiere, G. (2018). Working time regulations, unequal lifetime and...

Read more: Gregory Ponthiere, Professor

CHU Liege/ULiège
" La nouvelle pandémie COVID-19 modifie la prise en charge des patients oncologiques. Le premier objectif de notre projet est d'étudier la sécurité de la poursuite des traitements systémiques anti-tumoraux dans le contexte actuel de pandémie. Le deuxième objectif est de comprendre les inquiétudes et les ressentis de nos patients par rapport au risque d'attraper l'infection et leurs conséquences. Le troisième objectif est d'évaluer le taux d'infection et de séroconversion asymptomatique chez nos patients en comparaison à la population globale. Le quatrième objectif est de mieux comprendre les raisons de détresse du personnel soignant en oncologie afin de mieux organiser des mesures de soutien psychologique. "
Funding: Fondation Leon Frederic Fonds propres Oncologie Médicale
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ULiège 
Development of rapid and reliable alternative diagnostics for wide-scale COVID-19 testing. " Wide-scale implementation of rapid, reliable, low-cost diagnostic tests would help epidemic containment and mitigation strategies. The current gold standard in COVID-19 diagnostics employs quantitative reverse transcription (qRT) PCR which through cyclic reactions at different temperatures detects segments of the SARS-CoV-2 genome from RNA extracts from nasopharyngeal swabs. Though reliable, this procedure requires special sampling devices, purification of RNA, qualified personnel, sophisticated equipment, and a six hour turnaround time to result. By leveraging on university expert capacities such as molecular biology and protein science, our team has performed a series of controlled experiments to assess the specificity and sensitivity of loop- mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)- and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA)-based tests in comparison with the qRT-PCR procedure...

Read more: Haruko Takeda, Senior Scientist

UNamur and UCLouvain
" The project will aim at deciphering the molecular mechanisms of coronavirus endocytosis. Although Covid-19 and SARS are known to bind to ACE2 receptor at the surface of various epithelial cells, little is known about the molecular details of the endocytic mechanism of these viruses. One of our hypotheses is that the Spike protein of beta-coronaviruses are able to interact with glycosylated molecules at cell surface (lipids, proteins), induce a clustering mechanism and deformation of cell membrane for endocytosis. This mechanism could be similar to the previously described endocytic mechanism of other lectins (mammalian galectins, bacterial lectins such as Shiga toxin,...), as Spike proteins often contain a galectin-fold. The project has three objectives: 1°) Explore the ability of Covid-19 and other beta-coronaviruses to bind sugars; 2°) Explore the ability of coronaviruses' Spike proteins to induce receptor clustering at the host cell surface and endocytic...

Read more: Henri-François Renard, Professor - Pierre Morsomme, Professor