UMONS /Materia Nova/ CHU Ambroise Paré/ entreprise Biotech
" Development of a new serological test for the detection of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. A research project for the PoC serological diagnosis for SARC-CoV2 antibodies that will be done in collaboration with the Walloon company D-tek. This company is well known, since 25 years, for the development and commercialisation of serologic diagnostic tests. The immuno-dot elisa test, in their proprietary BlueDiver instrument, could allow for rapid detection of IgM and IgG antibodies from patients previously infected with the virus."
Contact: Pr. Ruddy Wattiez, Vice-rector of research and innovation of the university of Mons This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ULB, Erasme Hospital
" The outbreak linked to COVID-19 pandemic resulted in lock-down measures in almost all European countries. This research aims to assess these measures' implications on Mental Health in emerging adults. The online survey evaluate two psychometric variables (Resilience and Loneliness) and Mental Health status (mental health professional help-seeking, use of psychotropic drugs, or possible diagnosis) before and during lock-down measures. At least 600 healthy participants aged form 18 to 25 years old will be attended to fill the survey during the COVID-19 Pandemic lock-down measures. "
Funding: with the support of Julie Renson Fund, the Queen Fabiola Fund and the King Baudouin Foundation.
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ULB, Hôpital Erasme - FNRS
Lung injury, endothelial dysfunction and the role of RAAS during SARS-CoV-2 invection. " The first case of a person infected with SARS-Cov-2 virus can be tracked back on November the 17th, 2019, in China. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. On April 13, COVID-19 is affecting 210 countries and territories worldwide, about 2 million positive cases have been officially declared along with 115.000 deaths. The real number of infected and deaths is scarily higher, considering that up to 65% people are asymptomatic and thus, not tested. The percentage of patients with COVID-19 needed for intensive care unit (ICU) varied from 5 to 32% in Wuhan, China. It was up to 9% in Lombardy, Italy. According to available data from Lombardy, 99% of patients admitted to the ICU needed respiratory support (88% invasive ventilation, 11% non invasive ventilation). In this unprecedented time, while SARS-Cov-2 virus is halting...

Read more: Sofia Morra, FNRS Research Fellow

UMONS and Ambroise-Paré Hospital Mons
" Predictive plasma signature of the clinical behavior of COVID-19 patients. The clinical presentation of COVID-19 infection varies from mild to asymptomatic to pneumonia, which can be complicated by severe respiratory failure and/or cardiovascular, renal, hepatic and cutaneous involvement. The understanding of such a polymorphism is very incomplete and the prognosis is difficult. Several tracks involving inflammatory reactions are currently favored to better explain this disease. In particular, the significant increase in plasma cytokines IL2, IL7, IL10, GSCF, IP10, MCP1, MIP1A and TNFα, known as "cytokine storm", seems to be significantly associated with the ARDS and multi-organ onsets. In this context, IL6 seems to play an important role and targeted treatments against this cytokine seem promising. Also, the infection of endothelial cells by the coronavirus causing endothelium inflammation have been suggested as one of the fundamental...

Read more: Stéphane CARLIER, Prof - Jean-Marie COLET, Prof - Fabrice JOURNE, Dr - Sven SAUSSEZ, Prof- Vincent...

UMONS, CHU Ambroise Paré
" Following the observation of clinical cases of rashes at Ambroise Paré Hospital, the University of Mons and the team of dermatologists of the hospital initiated a research project to study various rashes that may be related to the current COVID-19 infection. These suspicious rashes are: acute urticaria, Gibert's pink pityriasis, frostbite, urticarial vasculitis, erythema multiforme and other atypical rashes. These rashes are known to accompany several viral infections, their current high number is of concern and we wish to evaluate whether COVID-19 infection could be the cause of them. "
Funding: internal funding
Contact: Pr. Sven Saussez, head of the laboratory of Human Anatomy and Experimental Oncology This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

UMONS/ Epicura/ CHU Ambroise Paré/ Hôpital Foch
" In recent weeks, many European ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists and infectious diseases specialists have observed that patients infected with coronavirus (COVID-19) had impaired sense of smell and taste. These symptoms of anosmia and dysgeusia were found in a large number of patients infected in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, England and the USA. Faced with the multiplication of declarations medical press, a group of ENT specialists from IFOS (the International Federation of ORL Societies), has developed a survey to investigate these sense of smell and taste disorders in patients infected with COVID-19 (infection being proven by PCR test). Pr. Sven Saussez and Dr. Jérôme Lechien from the University of Mons coordinated this study which was conducted by 33 ENT physicians and researchers in 12 European hospital "
Funding: CUR project submitted UMONS funding
Publication References: Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions as a clinical...

Read more: Sven Saussez, Professor - Jérôme Lechien, Doctor

ULB and Hôpital de Marche (Vivalia)
" Three axes to improve SARS-CoV-2 infection detection. 1. Development of RNA positive controls for real-time PCR allowing to give the SARS-CoV-2 RNA results in viral load quantification. Development of samples carrying eukaryote mRNA and recombinant RNA positive controls allowing to give after reverse transcription and real-time PCR the results in viral load/copy number. Method: The amplified region of the SARS-CoV-2 E gene was cloned in a E. coli expression vector allowing recombinant mRNA production after IPTG induction. Positive control samples are prepared by adding a known copy numbers of SARS-CoV-2 RNA to human eukaryote RNA, in order to have standard positive controls during the diagnosis method. 2. Development of a new SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis assay allowing point-of-care testing using the SHERLOCK diagnostics system. 3. Production of recombinant proteins allowing for anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin detection by ELISA."
Contact: Véronique...

Read more: Véronique Fontaine, Professor - Philippe Lefèvre, Doctor - Véronique Megalizzi, Doctor

ULiège
" The definition of populations at risk for severe Covid-19 might help to improve health care and to propose specific treatments. We investigate candidate genes that could be associated with these severe forms. "
Funding: Walloon Region (WALGEMED project) Fonds Léon Frédéricq (ULiège)
Contact: Vincent Bours, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Uliège & CHU of Liège - Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium
" This is a phase 1-2 clinical trial entitled "Mesenchymal stromal cell therapy for severe COVID-19 infection" exploring the safety and preliminary efficacy of treatment with mesenchymal stromal cells in patients with severe COVID-19 infection. "
Funding: CHU of Liège
Contact: Céline Grégoire, Dpt of Hematology M Moutschen, Dpt of Microbiology B Misset, Dpt of Intensive Care C Lechanteur, Lab of Cell Therapy CHU of Liège

ULiège and Centre Hospitalier Régional de la Citadelle (service de biologie clinique)
" Data have been collected by the clinical laboratory of the regional hospital on Covid-19 infected patients who needed hospitalisation in March-April 2020. Using these data collected on the day of admission, data mining techniques have been applied in order to determine whether it is possible to classify the patients into one out of two groups corresponding to a favorable or an unfavorable evolution. "
Contact: M. Schyns (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) G. Haesbroeck (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)