The VIB Switch laboratory, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven is a Dutch-speaking university in Flanders, Belgium.It is located at the centre of the historic town of Leuven, and is a prominent part of the city, home to the university since 1425...

is a department of VIB located at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven is a Dutch-speaking university in Flanders, Belgium.It is located at the centre of the historic town of Leuven, and is a prominent part of the city, home to the university since 1425...

 in Leuven

Leuven

Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...

, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

. The laboratory is headed by Frederic Rousseau

Frederic Rousseau

Frederic Rousseau is a Belgian molecular biologist and researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel . Together with Joost Schymkowitz he is group leader at the VIB Switch Laboratory, Vrije Universiteit Brussel...

 and Joost Schymkowitz

Joost Schymkowitz

Joost Schymkowitz is a Belgian molecular biologist and researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel . Together with Frederic Rousseau he is group leader at the VIB Switch Laboratory, Vrije Universiteit Brussel....

.

Its research focuses on functional regulation of cellular processes, which are governed by protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 conformational switches that have to be actively controlled to ensure cell viability. The laboratory combines in vitro biophysical techniques and computational structural biology

Structural biology

Structural biology is a branch of molecular biology, biochemistry, and biophysics concerned with the molecular structure of biological macromolecules, especially proteins and nucleic acids, how they acquire the structures they have, and how alterations in their structures affect their function...

 methods with advanced cell biological studies.

Source

• J. Comijn, P. Raeymaekers, A. Van Gysel, M. Veugelers, Today = Tomorrow : a tribute to life sciences research and innovation : 10 years of VIB, Snoeck, 2006, ISBN 978-90-5349-630-5
• Switch laboratory (VIB)
• Switch laboratory (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
  Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
  The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven is a Dutch-speaking university in Flanders, Belgium.It is located at the centre of the historic town of Leuven, and is a prominent part of the city, home to the university since 1425...
  
  )