Quick Guide:

• The Contact section lists your main contacts for info and deliveries. Contact-data of other staff can be found in the Members section, or in the Research section (main contacts per research group).
• A description of each research field can also be found in the Research section.
  
• Books and scientific publications are in the Publications section.
• Courses tought by our staff are not on this site, but can be found on their personal pages, via the Members section.
• Patient care is done in the nearby University Hospital of Antwerp (Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen, UZA), in which our researchers are active as well. See www.uza.be (in new window).
• Our research group's site is in international English only 🇬🇧, except some entries in the Events section which may be in Dutch 🇧🇪 🇳🇱.
  

Research Mission:

Neurosciences is the study of the nervous system. Our research focuses on the sensory organs of the human head, and on the head and neck structures in which nerves play a major role, such as: brain, eyes, ears, nose, teeth, tongue, and throat; and all related health-issues.

This research consists of fundamental, translational, and clinical research and development (R&D).

For a short description of each research topic, see the Research chapter on this website. More in-depth info for specialists can be found in our scientific publications.

What is Translational Research?

The word "translational" is derived from the verb "to translate", which in this context means: "translating knowledge from theory to practice". In the field of medicine, this means translating the theoretical knowledge about the human body into well working health-care solutions.

You could compare this to the field of engineering, which translates the theoretical laws of physics, chemistry, material sciences and math into all sorts of practical equipment and methods. Think of things like: cars, airplanes, machinery, electric and electronic devices, radio-communication, building materials, industrial chemical processes, fuels, plastics, metallurgy,..., in short, nearly everything we have in our civilised world.

The same applies to medical sciences. Fundamental (theoretical) research tries to discover the basic principles how the human body works. Translational research then develops practical therapies and health-care solutions from these basic laws. Next, clinical research tests the safety and effectiveness of these methods, so that doctors can use them in their daily practice. Thus translational research bridges the gap between theory and practice.

Often, fundamental, translational, and clinical research, and patient care, are done by the same teams of researchers, as they reinforce each other.