ULiege, CHU, GIGA I3
" Are obstructive diseases risk factors for developing pulmonary complications due to COVID19? We will include all patients followed up at CHU of Liege for COVID19 infection and classify them according to their underlying bronchopulmonary disease. The aim is to evaluate if asthma, severe asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases represent risk factors for developing pulmonary complications during COVID 19 infection. We want to find out biological or clinical predictors of complications. We also want to evaluate efficacy and safety of inhaled corticosteroids in asthma in case of COVID infection. Biomarkers will be measured at baseline and during follow-up. "
Funding: Fonds Leon Frederic
Contact: Schleich Florence, MD, PhD This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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, CHU - FNRS
" We aim to compare various diagnostic tools (swabs, saliva, serology, antigen detection) in order to define the best one depending on the clinical presentation and the duration of the disease. "
Funding: Fonds Léon Fredericq FNRS
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ULB - FNRS
" - I use my expertise in clinical research to set up and coordinate the reception/labeling and encoding station at the COVID diagnostic platform at ULB - As new president of the BSRM, I coordinate the writing and diffusion o recommendations for the reproductive centers in Belgium regarding COVID-19 pandemic "
Contact: https://actus.ulb.be/fr/actus/recherche/tests-de-diagnostic-covid-19-plus-de-250-chercheurs-mobilises BSRM website (https://bsrm.be)
Comment: My role as president of the BSRM to manage the COVID-19 crisis and my participation as coordinator at the COVID diagnostic platform (ULB) are completely independent.

ULB, Department of Pathology, Erasme hospital and DIAPath-CMMI - Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium
" A first objective of this project is to establish an accurate topography of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the organs and various cells of patients who died in COVID-19 units, in order to contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of COVID-19. A second objective is to provide a routine diagnostic test for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in routine samples in pathological anatomy. "
Funding: Fonds Y Boël (Brussels, Belgium), Fonds Erasme pour la Recherche Médicale (Brussels, Belgium), and "Appel à projet Spécial COVID-19 - ULB" (Brussels, Belgium). The CMMI is supported by the European Regional Development Fund and the Walloon Region of Belgium (Wallonia-biomed; grant no. 411132-957270; project "CMMI-ULB").
Contact: Prof. I. Salmon, Department of Pathology, Erasme Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Route de Lennik 808, 1070 Brussels, Belgium.

ULiège - FNRS
" Our solution for SARS-CoV-2 induced disease is to develop small molecules able to disrupt interactions between CoV-2 proteins and human interacting proteins. We anticipate that these molecules will substantially affect CoV-2 virulence and associated lung inflammation. "
Funding: none
Contact: Dr.Jean-Claude TWIZERE University of Liege GIGA -Molecular Biology of Diseases Viral Interactomes Lab 1 Avenue de l'Hopital B-4000 Liege Belgium
Comment: We are looking for funding as well as potential collaborations in an "OPENSCREEN" strategy.

UCLouvain
" As a technological platform of the IREC institute, CTMA offers technological support and expertise to IREC-researchers from multiple IREC Research Labs. CTMA provides to the IREC researchers access and support to use numerous molecular technologies including : quantitative PCR, LAMP (Isothermal Loop Mediated Amplification), Lateral Flow Assay developement, Sanger Sequencing, Pyrosequencing and Next-Generation-Sequencing (Illumina-Miseq), microarrays facilities (Affymetrix, Agilent, custom glass slide arrays…). The multidisciplinary team from CTMA provides a support on different aspect of the research projects from the experimental design until the data analysis and the validation of new devices. "
Contact: Professor Jean Luc Gala This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ULiège
" The first objectives of our approach was to strongly increase the testing capacity for virus by using protocols that are as effective as possible and above all not very dependent on the external sources of consumables and reagents whose supply is threatened. The ULiege testing platform can analyse more than 3000 samples per day and is member on the National testing platform. "
Contact: Prof Fabrice BUREAU Vice-Recteur à la Recherche, Université de Liège Place du 20-Août, 7 B-4000, Liège Belgique Tél: +32 4 366 32 14 Prof Laurent GILLET Université de Liège Quartier Vallée, 2 Avenue de Cureghem, 10 B-4000, Liège Belgique Tél: +32 4 366 42 86

ULiège - FNRS - Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium
" Massive infiltration of activated macrophages is associated with the development of a cytokine storm that leads to severe acute respiratory syndrome induced by SARS-CoV-2. Based on our results demonstrating the key role exerted by epigenetic regulation in the activity of macrophages, we propose to study the methyltransferase EZH2 in the pathogenesis induced by SARS-CoV-2. We have also shown that the PD-1 immune checkpoint is responsible for the macrophage anergy induced by the absence of EZH2. The goal of the project is to temper the excessive inflammatory responses associated with macrophages by interfering on the EZH2-PD-1 axis. "
Funding: Decision pending (FNRS Crédit Urgent de Recherche 40002642)
Publication References: - Inhibition of EZH2 methyltransferase decreases immunoediting of mesothelioma cells by autologous macrophages through a PD-1-dependent mechanism. Malik Hamaidia, Hélène Gazon, Clotilde Hoyos, Gabriela...

Read more: Luc Willems, FNRS Research Director

CHU-Liège 
" The University Hospital of Liège (CHULiège) has developed a diagnostic capability to detect the SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR in response to the need for more capacity testing in Belgium from March 2020. Indeed, from February 2020, clinical COVID-19 cases were already detected in Belgium thanks to the Reference laboratory for respiratory viruses in KULeuven (Reflab). However, it appeared rapidly evident that the capacity of the Reflab could not be further enhanced. Therefore Belgian university and non-university hospital laboratories started to develop RT-PCR assays which sensitivity were first validated by the Reflab. CHULiège developed an in house SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR assay following an adapted version of the Charité Hospital (1) protocol with the aid of the Antwerp University Hospital Microbiology lab and the Reflab. We have chosen to include two targets: the E and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) genes. From the 6th March, we were able to run the test and since this date we run...

Read more: Marie-Pierre HAYETTE, The RT-PCR diagnostic platform of CHU Liège for the detection of SARS-CoV-2

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

ULB - Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium
" The project aims at understanding why men are more affected than women. Compelling evidences indicate sex-bias in SARS-CoV2 with male representing the majority of severe cases requiring intensive care. Excessive inflammatory symptoms attributed mainly to cytokine storm is the hall-mark of disease progress. We ask whether differences in genetic fitness between male and female patients could contribute to sex-bias and we focus, in particular, on potential role of microRNAs in fine tuning the type and magnitude of the inflammatory response "
Funding: Current application to FNRS IRIS research
Publication References: - Chamekh M, M Deny, M Romano, et al. Differential Susceptibility to Infectious Respiratory Diseases between Males and Females Linked to Sex-Specific Innate Immune Inflammatory Response. Front Immunol. 2017; 8: 1806. - Casimir, G. J., Lefèvre, N., Corazza, F et al. J. Sex and inflammation in respiratory diseases : a clinical...

Read more: Mostafa Chamekh, Professor (coordinator of the project) - Georges Casimir, Professor - Francis...

ULB
" I mostly helped setting up a testing facility within the Erasme campus and my laboratory "
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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....

Coris BioConcept
" Early February we started the development of a rapid antigen detection assay for SARS-CoV-2. The COVID-19 Ag Respi-Strip Assay was validated in three University hospital laboratories and registered (CE mark) by end of March. The test is designed as a first line triage assay to be used for rapid (15 minutes) detection of SARS-CoV-2 on symptomatic patients. We are currently developing a serological assay that targets the immune response against several antigens of the virus. "
Publication References: https://jcm.asm.org/content/jcm/early/2020/05/11/JCM.00977-20.full.pdf https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2020.00225/full?utm_campaign=ba-cov-sci-fmed-respi-strip&utm_medium=cvlp&utm_source=fweb
Contact: https://www.corisbio.com/Products/Human-Field/Covid-19.php product-sales: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. science-R&D: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.