ULB and European Center for prevention and Control of Diseases fellow - FNRS
" In support of clinical biology laboratories, the ULB has set up a diagnostic plateform in both Erasmus and Gosselies campus to face the epidemic of SARS-CoV2. The diagnosis relies on the detection of viral RNA in nasal swab. The COVID plateform has the capacity to analyse 500 samples per day, 7 days a week and relies on the expertise and skill of more than 200 volunteers. "
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Comment: List of all the volunteers who are working in the COVID plateform

ULB, CHU Saint-Pierre, Hôpital Erasme, ULiège - FNRS

" The project investigates the immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans. Cohorts of patients and contacts are recruited and followed-up during several months following infection. Using systems serology and systems biology approaches, the quality and dynamics of antibody and cellular responses are analysed to identify correlates of protection against severe disease and to determine the duration of natural immunity to the virus. The project should provide insight in the host response to SARS-CoV-2 and should help define deconfinement strategies and develop prophylactic and therapeutic interventions against COVID-19. "
Funding: COVID 19 - ULB
Contact: Arnaud Marchant: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Stanislas Goriely: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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

ULB, Bordet Institute and CHU Saint-Pierre
" The limited capacity of intensive care unit (ICU) beds and the high mortality of patients requiring ICU care after COVID-19 infection are major problems that urgently require solutions. Early evidence suggests that an individual patient's immune responses to this virus are a key factor in their disease pathogenesis. This response can be further compounded by underlying factors, which for patients at Bordet can be exacerbated by their cancer status. A recent study shows that some cancer patients (particularly lung, blood or metastatic cancer patients) are three times more likely to die from COVID-19 infection. Thus, there is an important need to understand and identify immune biomarker(s) that measure functionality of innate and/or adaptive immunity in the blood with rapid turnaround to provide much needed information for clinical decision making. The anticipated results of this collaborative research project include the identification of...

Read more: Ahmad Awada, Chef de Service, Medical Oncology - Karen Willard-Gallo, Laboratory Head, Molecular...

ZENTECH SA
" Development of specific IVD products to detect the patient serology due to the infection with SARS-COV2 Developement based on ISO13485, Directives 98/79/EC standards. Different technologies approched : ELISA, RT-PCR, lateral flow "
Contact: Alain Bosseloir COO ZenTech sa Liege Science Park Avenue du Pré Aily 10 4031 Angleur

Protein Factory - ULiège
" At Protein Factory, the protein expression and purification facility of the Centre for Protein Engineering (CIP; ULiège), we have produced proteins for COVID-19 diagnostics. Thus, in a collaborative effort with the GIGA Institute at ULiège (Haruko Takeda, in particular), we have been involved in the implementation of alternative rapid and reliable tests, based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assays, which both appear as promising alternative to the standard quantitative reverse transcription (qRT) PCR procedure. In addition, for the sake of increased reliability, the CRISPR-Cas12 / Cas13 reporter detection systems have also been implemented. In order not to depend on commercial products, we produced at Protein Factory all the enzymes necessary to perform these tests internally, regardless of any supply shortage or price inflation. Thus, the following enzymes are now available at the CIP for...

Read more: Alain Brans, Fabrice Bouillenne, Iris Tham, Anne-Marie Matton, Moreno Galleni, André Matagne

D-tek s.a
" "Multiplex Immuno-Dot technology for COVID-19 serological investigation The Multiplex serological technology, developed since 1995 in D-tek (www.d-tek.be), is dedicated to the profiling of the human antibody response to different immunogens, in a single test. It has various applications in laboratory diagnostics, as well as medical and pharmaceutical research (companion-diagnostics). The technology finds an obvious application for the COVID-19 serological investigation, as the antibody response to the SARS-CoV-2 infection is known to be complex, with multi-epitope targeting, and needs to be better understood. In a typical test (ongoing development), various recombinant SARS-CoV-2 antigens are coated on a membrane strip at different spot positions. The assay is designed to map, in one single test, any patient antibody recognizing any of these protein structures. The test procedure is a classical enzyme immunoassay that can be processed from 10µl of patient's serum or...

Read more: Alain Vigneron, Founder & Scientific advisor - Benoît Autem, CEO - Nicolas Bodart, R&D Director -...

Xpress Biologics
" Xpress Biologics, a Belgian based CDMO, has several strategies to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic which includes: - The development of a serology assay to detect Covid-19 seroconversion in humans based on the manufacturing of 3 specific COVID-19 antigens ( full-length Spike protein, S1 subunit, RBD domain) using Pichia pastoris as expression system - Plasmid DNA manufacturing expertise for the development of anti-COVID DNA vaccines - Recombinant protein or antibody fragments manufacturing expertise for diagnostic and treatment of COVID-19 Xpress Biologics has adapted technological platforms that are available to meet the COVID-19 pandemic challenge. In particular our Molecular Biology solution can rapidly help us develop microbial strains for robust and efficient expression of several type of biologics such as viral antigens, neutralizing antibody fragments and DNA vaccines while through our Upstream Process platform we can rapidly engineer industrial processes for...

Read more: Alexandre Di Paolo, Business Development Manager

Comunicare Solutions
" Comunicare Solutions is a health technology startup, specializing in patient empowerment, self-management and digital therapy. In the context of Covid-19 sanitary crisis, we proposed our solution for the remote support to chronic patients, especially the most at risk patients who suffered from chronic systemic diseases of respiratory origin, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart disease like heart failure or complex hypertension. The application enables caregivers to inform those patients about additional precautions, to screen patients reported outcomes but also to keep in touch with them via video consultation"
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

UCLouvain - FNRS
" We intend to evaluate the applicability of muon tomography for rapid and non-invasive monitoring of lung status in patients with acute pneumonia. This enhances treatment and helps to manage the flow of patients in an epidemic situation. Muons are elementary particles, freely and naturally produced in cosmic-rays interactions in the upper atmosphere. A collaboration has recently been set up between the muon tomography group of UCLouvain, the University of Tartu (UT), the National Institute for Chemical Physics and Biophysics (NICTP) in Tallinn, and the start-up company GScan, to study a new approach in muon tomography. Although originally developed for the detection of explosives and drugs in luggage-size objects (patent application PCT / EP2019 / 055333, deposited by the Estonian partners), we have indications that this method can be used to assess the lung status of covid-19 patients. The advantages of the method are: it is sensitive to material and density, there...

Read more: Andrea Giammanco, FNRS Senior Research Associate

Institut Jules Bordet
" Contribution to the application and implementation of a novel Covid-19 diagnostic testing method developed at the GIGA/FARAH academic research institutes. Starting with a handful academic scientists from different disciplines, we established a Covid diagnostic lab with the goal of increasing the testing capacity in Belgium during the heaviest period of the crisis. The lab was entirely and exclusively build by training academic volunteers dedicating their time and energy to a joint effort to "beat the virus". Today the lab has a testing capacity of > 3000 samples/day, 7days/7. The diagnostic lab contributed - and still contributes - to the federal Testing Task Force as one of the five partners involved in screening nursing homes and more recently "centres de triage". We believe extensive testing may be critical to assist and better understand the nascent "deconfinement". Making available our expertise in virus-associated diseases accumulated over years of...

Read more: Anne Van den Broeke, Doctor

UNamur - Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium - Royal Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium
" UNamur researchers have developed a procedure for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. The protocol has been approved by the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP). As successfully realized within UNamur, the method can be implemented in a molecular biology research lab to be used for diagnostic purposes on clinical samples. It requires little technological development and allows to overcome reagents shortage or availability of automated systems. To support the implementation of the diagnostic procedure, the required equipment and logistical means have been described in a "starting pack" document accompanying the protocol. "
Publication References: The protocol and starting pack can be downloaded here: https://www.narilis.be/news/sana-sars-cov-2-namur
Contact: Virginie Bourguignon This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ULB 
" Within the INOCS team (ULB and INRIA Lille), we currently build expertise on methods to develop optimal design of group testing experiments. "
Contact: Bernard Fortz This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Alphadia s.a.

" PCR test to segment Covid-19 patients "  and " qRT-PCR to segment Covid patients Cytokines storm "
Funding: No funding requested
Contact: Bernard Noirhomme BDM & Administrator This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. +32 471 55 62 24