Bart De Strooper and Peter Peumans on the Future of Dementia Research

Developing a successful therapy for dementia will be one of the critical medical challenges of the 21st century. In this video, Prof. Bart De Strooper and Dr Peter Peumans share their vision on how to revolutionize neurodegenerative research in the years to come.

Bart De Strooper is one of the world's top experts in dementia research. He was formerly Director at the Belgian VIB Center for Brain Research, where he led a neuroscience department of over 250 scientists. He currently manages over 350 researchers and a £290 million investment from the British government at the UK Dementia Research Institute. For his groundbreaking work, Bart was awarded 'The Brain Prize' - globally recognized as the most prestigious prize in brain research.

Peter Peumans directs the life sciences department at imec, the world's most advanced R&D hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies. He holds a PhD in electrical engineering from Princeton University and served as professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University. Peter overlooks imec's activities revolutionizing the diagnosis and treatments of diseases such as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's through the development of solutions based on nanoelectronics and nanotechnology. He works on projects with partners such as NASA, DARPA and several universities and research organizations.

Through a joint research venture, imec, UZ Leuven, KU Leuven and VIB hope to revolutionalize dementia research by combining their biomedical, clinical and technological knowledge. Imec provides the project with its world-class expertise in nanoelectronics and digital technologies. VIB, a life sciences research institute, performs basic research into the molecular foundations of life and has been responsible for previous breakthroughs in cancer treatment and neurobiology. The project's clinical studies will be done at UZ Leuven, an academic hospital, and its affiliated university KU Leuven, consistently ranked as one of Europe's most innovative institutes.

Together with their fellow researchers, Bart and Peter are creating new tools to accelerate scientific discovery and medical progress for a future without dementia. Among their projects are the development of human-specific living brain models - also called 'human-brains-on-chips' - and devices that will allow unprecedented insights into the molecular and cellular processes that contribute to neurodegeneration. The venture has already been awarded an ERC grant and significant gifts, such as a million-dollar award by The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, founded by Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his partner Priscilla Chan's to promote scientific breakthroughs. Bart and Peter’s joint research is a crucial step towards imec’s goal to advance neuroscience and to propel the understanding of complex brain processes and diseases forward.

[nietschefan]

Interesting research. Too bad Mr. De Strooper acts as a manager with fear, resulting in his employees to be afraid to share negative data. Unfortunately, HR of KULeuven never acts on these issues until the moment this is shared in the media.