Bordet Institute
" On April 11th, 2020, four patients hospitalized for more than 7 days developed fever some of them respiratory symptoms compatible with Covid-19 infection and were detected positive for SARS-CoV2. A 5th patient was also detected positive , had minor symptoms and was admitted 2 days earlier for collecting PBSC As a consequence of this mini-outbreak a screening of healthcare workers at this Unit revealed 2 staff members positive for SARS-CoV2. Severe acute respiratory distress syndrome Coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV2), causing Covid19 pandemic is rapidly spreading from person-to-person, via respiratory droplets, direct contact with mucous membranes or indirect contact through touching infected surfaces and then touching own eyes, nose or mouth. Airborne transmission after generated aerosols (intubation, bronchoscopy, tracheal aspiration,…) have been previously reported for other Coronaviruses(SARS-CoV1, MERS) and has been postulated for SARS-Cov2. In critical units such as the...

Read more: Mickael Aoun, Infectiologist

ULiège 
" There is a critical need for therapeutic solutions against SARS-CoV-2. Before implementing innovative treatments in human medicine, a first screening of the antiviral or immunomodulatory activity should be performed by in vitro and in vivo methods. To this aim, we developed in vitro (cell culture) and in vivo (hamsters and mice) models of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We developed an in vitro (cell culture) and in vivo (hamsters and mice) to screen antiviral or immunomodulatory molecules, in partnership with colleagues from the ULiège hospital and the GIGA research center. We also validate the inactivation protocols to facilitate the diagnostic workflow, in partnership with the Federal task force. "
Funding: Currently no funding. We applied to the "Crédits urgents de recherche" call.
Contact: Mutien Garigliany, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ECVP Professor Department of Pathology Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Centre for Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals & Health (FARAH) Liège...

Read more: Mutien Garigliany, Professor - Daniel Desmecht, Professor

FARAH - ULiège 
" As of today, one of the most promising therapeutic solutions against COVID-19 is the use of convalescent plasma. A subset of the antibodies present in this plasma are able to bind the surface proteins of the virus, chiefly the Spike (attachment) protein, and to neutralize the ability of viral particles to infect permissive cells. Upon request of the Red Cross and ULiège CHU hospital, we developed seroneutralization assays to determine the titers in neutralizing antibodies of convalescent plasma. In collaboration with KU Leuven (Rega) and ITM Antwerp, we just completed an interlaboratory ring test. We screen convalescent plasmas on a routine basis for the Croix Rouge and Rode Kruis. Only plasmas with a titer in neutralizing antibodies above the cut-off value will be used therapeutically. The scarcity of the scientific literature on the subject (only a few studies on the therapeutic use of convalescent plasmas are currently available) make it difficult to fix a cut-off...

Read more: Mutien Garigliany, Professor - Daniel Desmecht, Professor

LHUB-ULB - Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium
" "The purpose of this study is to map the healthcare workers exposure risk in Saint-Pierre University Hospital by combining molecular methods with serological assays. In summary, the short-term objective is threefold: (1) Provide an estimate of the sero-prevalence at baseline among high-risk health care workers (2) Determine prospectively the incidence of new SARS-CoV-2 infections among high-risk health care workers (3) Estimate the healthcare worker exposure to the virus by serological data to help our five partner hospitals in their day-to-day management of the ongoing pandemic The mid-term objectives are: (1) Establish an accurate mapping of the spread of the virus among our population allowing to identify the chain of transmission, (2) Identify predictive immunological markers of susceptibility to infection and disease severity to inform vaccine strategies and, (3) Establish solid diagnosis algorithm that will help adequate lockdown...

Read more: O. Vandenberg, Pr. - N. Clumeck, Pr. - C. Montesinos, Pr. - N. Dauby, MD, PhD - C. Gilles, MD - C....

Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, UCLouvain
" The objective of our project is to describe the nasopharyngeal (NP) microbiota and virome of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients at diagnosis through unbiased nextgeneration sequencing analysis and to correlate microbiota and virome profile with COVID-19 infectious phenotype. At a second stage of our project, provided additional findings are raised, those data will be enriched by NP transcriptome analysis of infected patients, and background genomic determination. Integration of those data and analysis through systems biology approach will enable better understanding of multidirectional host-pathogen interactions. "
Funding: FNRS CUR requested. Additional funding will be requested for further steps.
Contact: Pr L.Belkhir This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 02/7642198 --- Pr P.Cani This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

GSK - Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium
" Support covid international: https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/media/resource-centre/our-contribution-to-the-fight-against-2019-ncov/ Support covid en Belgique: https://be.gsk.com/media/915368/cp-gsk-contributions-majeures-de-gsk-a-la-lutte-contre-le-covid-19.pdf NA NA "
Funding: NA
Contact: Philippe Denoel - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

HUDERF and ULB
" Role of Children in Sars-Cov-2 transmission, Heath Care Worker protection, Paediatric epidemiology and disease burden "
Funding: FNRS funding under assessment.
Contact: Prof Pierre Smeesters Academic Children Hospital Queen Fabiola Molecular Bacteriology Laboratory, ULB This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

GIGA-Institute, ULiège - FNRS - Royal Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium
" The main objective of our research program is the identification of human genetic factors impacting the COVID19 pandemic. Within the COVID-19 host genetics initiative (https://www.covid19hg.org/), we will establish a shared set of phenotypes to be combined with genomic data for standard GWAS and further meta-analysis. Field of expertise of our laboratory : genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, immune-response related diseases. In addition, the GIGA Institute is an interdisciplinary research institute from the ULiege devoted to academic excellence in the biomedical sciences to foster ground-breaking medical innovation. It comprises 583 members attached to six faculties (Medicine, Science, Veterinary Medicine, Engineering, Agbiotech, Psychology) that are organized in four disease-based (neuroscience, cancer, infection-inflammation-immunity, cardiovascular) and two method-based thematic units...

Read more: Souad Rahmouni, Doctor