On June 23rd, GENeHOPE had the great pleasure of organizing its grant award ceremony. Hosted at Belfius, this exceptional evening brought together major donors, partners, sponsors, but also affected families, as well as members of GENeHOPE’s management, scientific, and support committees.
This ceremony marked a major milestone: the selection of four outstanding research projects following the call for proposals launched by GENeHOPE few months ago via the King Baudouin Foundation, which hosts the Fund.
The call generated strong interest, with nine high-quality applications from French-speaking or Dutch-speaking, and French research teams.
The GENeHOPE Scientific Committee, in collaboration with the King Baudouin Foundation, selected innovative research projects led by renowned genetic centers and internationally recognized researchers. Each project will receive a €50,000 grant to drive concrete advances in genomics and genetic disease research.
The four selected projects:
Childhood glaucoma and Xenopus model
Decoding a rare genetic mechanism behind severe childhood glaucoma — a disease affecting the optic nerve and potentially leading to blindness — using an original Xenopus model to better understand and ultimately treat adult glaucoma.
Elfride De Baere (Ghent University) – Jean-Michel Rozet (Institut Imagine)
Kidney and pancreatic ciliopathies: understanding multi-organ involvement
Studying the interactions between kidney and pancreas in a rare ciliopathy caused by the NPHP3 gene, responsible for childhood kidney failure. The project combines fundamental research and preclinical trials.
Patrick Jacquemin (de Duve Institute, UCLouvain) – Amandine Viau (Institut Imagine)
Loeys-Dietz syndrome and IPO8 mutation: toward better understanding of rare forms
Analyzing the effects of an IPO8 gene mutation in mouse models to uncover mechanisms behind the variability of symptoms in patients affected by this rare disorder of the vessels, skeleton, and immune system.
Marianna Parlato (Institut Imagine) – Aline Verstraeten (Center of Medical Genetics, Antwerp)
RAPIDGEN: accelerating diagnosis of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) in newborns
Development of an ultra-rapid platform to validate new genes responsible for SCID, enabling vital treatments — such as bone marrow transplant — within the first weeks of life.
Filomeen Haerynck (Ghent University) – Jacinta Bustamante (Institut Imagine)
These four projects embody scientific excellence, a spirit of innovation, and the strength of international collaboration. GENeHOPE is proud to contribute, in its own way, to this momentum that brings real hope to patients and their families.
On behalf of its founders, Jean-Baptiste and Hortense Van Ex, and all those involved in the development of the GENeHOPE Fund, we extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who is making this adventure possible.
More details about the selected projects and the awarded teams will be shared in the coming weeks. Stay tuned…
© Photos: Julian Hills
