ULB Research ⤶	Description of the Unit	Projects of the Unit	Composition
Collaborations of the Unit	Protected technologies	Publications	Skills

Healthcare

Research aimed at protecting human health is well developed at the ULB. Involving doctors, psychologists, biomechanics, physiotherapists, osteopath, biologists, pharmacists, chemists, engineers, physicists, mathematicians, it revolves around the ULB hospital network in Brussels (the university hospitals Erasmus, Bordet, Brugmann and Huderf, as well as the Iris network) and in Hainaut (Charleroi, La Louviere, Mons). Synergies with the hospital network enable the implementation of approaches featuring translational and personalised medicine: from the laboratory to a patient's bed and vice-versa. The most advanced research is thus made available to patients. In return the clinical characteristics of patients and the data stored in biobanks or gained from genome sequencing are analysed, using bioinformatics, in an effort to advance research. In the medical field, a substantial amount of research effort is being invested in cancer, the immune system and its deficiencies, neurological diseases, infectious diseases (especially AIDS and sleeping sickness), diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, infertility, as well as in the relationship between micro-particles and cardiovascular diseases or problems related to motor skills and rehabilitation, with a focus on the elderly and infants. Several ULB teams are similarly working on subjects of social relevance such as the psychological factors associated with prevention, screening, the treatment and palliation of medical conditions (particularly cancer), the care of patients with chronic diseases and addictions, various forms of psychosis, or the experience of conception and birth. The research labs of the Faculty of Pharmacy use the most advanced biochemical and bioanalytical techniques and platforms for identifying new active ingredients and therapeutical targets, and developing more efficient and more reliable new medicines. There is also extensive collaboration between medical teams and engineers and physicists to develop new tools for medical use, ranging from imaging to the development of less invasive surgical instruments. Last but not least, the economic, social and ethical dimensions of health are intensively studied: specific behavioural features associated with health (looked at also from the perspective of social inequality), HR requirements in healthcare institutions, vaccination programmes, cancer monitoring, etc. Special attention is accorded to less-developed countries, with which a large number of collaboration projects and training programmes exist.

The Environment, Earth Science, Population Science and the Science of Organisms

Preserving biodiversity and fighting the negative effects of climate change are two of the century's major challenges. Free and independent scientific research is essential for tackling the problems and coming up with the right solutions: the critical spirit characteristic of science is concerned with the societal implications, though needs to remain independent of political and business interests. At the ULB, multidisciplinary teams are working on paleoclimatology issues via the study of old polar ice, on the processes at work in the atmosphere using satellite data, on exchanges between the atmosphere, land cover and oceans, and on the evolution of the Earth and volcanology. Research into living organisms covers a wide spectrum, ranging from fundamental research in theoretical biology, the molecular biology of plants and animals (including the emergence of living organisms), up to field studies in various regions of the world, looking at such things as insect communities, marine biology, the ecosystem of tropical mangroves, plant biodiversity in Central Africa (with exceptionally well-stocked collections), or the numerous forms of interaction between human beings and the environment. One of the outstanding ULB names in this field is Paul Duvigneaud (1913-1991), an internationally recognised figure in the field of ecology and in particular the urban environment from the 1950's onwards. The research conducted at the ULB often leads to very concrete projects, looking for instance at the phytoremediation of soils, understanding the migration of plants and animals associated with climate change and human activity, the spread of avian Influenza, or aquaculture in a tropical environment.