News

Number of invasive prenatal tests halved since introduction of the NIPT

19 February 2021

The wide application of the test has meant that only half as many invasive prenatal tests (amniocentesis and CVS tests) were needed and a third less babies with Down syndrome were born. These were the results of a large trial of all genetic centres in Belgium, coordinated by the centre for human genetics at UZ Leuven.

Rare diseases: big steps, but we're not there yet

17 February 2021

In Belgium 6 per cent of the population suffers from a rare disase. With the Not a Unicorn campaign, RaDiOrg, the organisation for rare diseases, wants to raise awareness for rare diseases. Professor Hilde Van Esch from the Centre for Human Genetics (CME) explains what working with rare diseases means to her.

Heart transplant with new preservation technique for first Belgian patient

17 February 2021

Last autumn UZ Leuven was the first to perform a heart transplant in Belgium with the help of a new preservation technique. Thanks to this technique a donor heart can be preserved for almost five times as long.

UZ Leuven and KU Leuven set up mobile testing teams for COVID-19 tests

4 February 2021

At the request of the Flemish Agency for Care and Health the new mobile testing team for COVID-19 testing came into action for the first time on 1 February 2021. The first request was from a primary school in Galmaarden, where 150 students needed testing.

Everything back under control at the Gasthuisberg campus after fake bomb scare

27 January 2021

On Wednesday morning between 9 and 9:30 there was an incident at UZ Leuven. The general reception hall was evacuated temporarily. In the meantime business is back to normal at the Gasthuisberg campus.

Top Employer 2021

25 January 2021

Despite the challenges we've had to meet in 2020, UZ Leuven has managed to remain a Top Employer. It is the thirteenth time that UZ Leuven was awarded this title.

Leuven study shows immune reaction in the lungs of seriously ill COVID-19 patients

21 January 2021

UZ Leuven, KU Leuven researchers and the VIB have examined the immune reaction in COVID-19 patients in the hospital. Analyses of the lung fluid showed new factors that play a role in the excessive immune reactions against the virus, which are crucial for the development of treatments.

Radiation boost lowers risk of prostate cancer recurrence

21 January 2021

A large international trial has shown that an extra radiation boost delivered directly to the tumour can improve the prospects of men with non-metastatic prostate cancer, without additional adverse effects. For these men the chance of a relapse in 5 years is smaller than for men that did not receive the boost.

Vaccination campaigns in hospitals temporarily put on hold

20 January 2021

The Flemish government has put the vaccination campaigns in the hospitals temporarily on hold. This means that UZ Leuven will plan no further vaccinations for its care employees.

UZ Leuven starts the vaccination of healthcare staff

19 January 2021

On Tuesday 19 January the first UZ Leuven employees received their coronavirus vaccine. There are 1,407 vaccines available for a number of priority target populations.

Scientists reveal mechanism that causes irritable bowel syndrome

13 January 2021

KU Leuven researchers have identified the biological mechanism that explains why some people experience abdominal pain when they eat certain foods. The finding paves the way for more efficient treatment of irritable bowel syndrome and other food intolerances.

European project for the diagnosis of rare systemic autoinflammatory diseases started in Belgium

12 January 2021

In December 2020 a new clinical trial was launched at UZ Leuven. The trial is part of the ImmunAID-project, which also wants to discover new tools for the diagnosis of systemic autoinflammatory diseases (SAID).