@fendtlab.bsky.social postdoc Sebastian Igelmann shares his highlights and experiences from the EACR Tumor Ecosystem conference!

After a huge researcher backlash, the European Research Council has reversed a policy it introduced to help deal with a deluge of applications to its coveted awards. go.nature.com/428LA6d

Hopefully the beginning of something bigger to ensure that European science prospers today and in the future!

After collective feedback from the research community, the ERC decided to keep the existing resubmission rules for 2027. A reminder that speaking together matters - and that continued advocacy for strong research and funding in Europe is essential. Grateful to everyone who contributed. #ERC 🇪🇺

I argued that when a grant rejection can hinge on something small, and you then have to wait years to resubmit, the cost becomes so high that instead of suggesting “high-risk high-gain” plans scientists will prepare more cautious, less ambitious proposals (2/3)

In <3 days, our open letter gathered 1,000+ signatures from 36 countries and 200+ institutions reflecting broad concern about restricting ERC applications & strong support for the proposed alternatives + the ERC mission to fund innovative research now and in the future. 🇪🇺 #ERC

We celebrated the "in principle accepted" :o) Stay tuned.

What should Europe do when demand for #ERC funding keeps rising? Restrict access or invest in excellence? Please read our open letter calling for reconsideration of the ERC 2027 resubmission restrictions & for constructive alternatives that preserve openness Consider to share & sign - see below 🧪

Great short talk and discussion by Dr Sebastian Igelmann at the @helloeacr.bsky.social Tumor Ecosystem Conference and many thanks to EACR-WCR @worldwidecancer.bsky.social who sponsored the travel grant Sebastian received!

Where do the lipids come from & how do lung metastases benefit from them? Congratulations Dr Xiao-Zheng Liu @teenyl.bsky.social & Dr Ming Liu! Amazing collaboration with Prof. Yuneva and Prof. Altea-Manzano @alteamanzanolab.bsky.social Read more bit.ly/4lBSN7N @wcrf.org @fwovlaanderen.bsky.social

Opening celebration for the Methusalem consortium Fendt, Scheele, Desmedt. We are looking forward to making PROGRESS in intercepting breast cancer in the context of patient physiology! @kuleuvenuniversity.bsky.social

The Fendt Lab wishes you happy holidays and a prosperous 2026! May there be many discoveries, collaborations and miracles 💫

I am thrilled and deeply honored to have been selected as a KU Leuven Leading Researcher (Methusalem beneficiary). Together with Colinda Scheele & Christine Desmedt, we will dissect breast cancer and its progression to uncover fundamental mechanisms and translate them into impact for patients.

Dr. Xiao-Zheng Liu has been awarded the 2025 Beug Metastasis Research Prize! Big congratulations to this amazing recognition! @embo.org @fwovlaanderen.bsky.social www.beugstiftung-metastase.de/events/

How does our diet influence breast cancer progress & why is fundamental research important? We discussed this topic and showcased mass spectrometry imaging to a broad audience on the Day of Science! Many thanks to everyone who was involved! @wcrf.org @fwovlaanderen.bsky.social @vib-ccb.bsky.social

We have a new PhD in the lab! Big congratulations to Dr. Ming Liu to a fantastic PhD defense!

Honored to be part of the highly cited researchers. This is a big recognition for my team and our research. Together we continue to work towards a future where cancer is less deadly! @fwovlaanderen.bsky.social @wcrf.org

Why fundamental research is fundamental to progress, seeding major breakthroughs Editorial @nature.com this week And 7 basic science discoveries that changed the world nature.com/articles/d41... nature.com/articles/d41...

Big congratulations to Margherita Demicco for giving an excellent short talk & Sebastian Igelmann for winning the poster prize at the BACR Annual Meeting 2025! @embo.org @fwovlaanderen.bsky.social @viblifesciences.bsky.social

We study cancer progression and metastasis. Today wearing the 🎗️ we would like to thank all collaborators, patients & their families, and funders because together we are working towards a future where cancer is less life threatening than today! @fwovlaanderen.bsky.social #STK #KOTK @wcrf.org

It was a great opportunity to present my study in the conference, and really appreciate all the fantastic questions and discussions. Many thanks to @dmmjournal.bsky.social for the travel grant and @embo.org @fwovlaanderen.bsky.social support.

Big congratulations to Dr. Xiao-Zheng Liu for giving an excellent short talk at the #6thCancer&Metabolism meeting at the Palais des Congrès, La Grande Motte, France funded by a @dmmjournal.bsky.social travel grant. @embo.org @fwovlaanderen.bsky.social

Congratulations to Maria de los Angeles Caliz Molina for being awarded with the KU Leuven Internal Funds, Postdoctoral Mandate Type 1.

Jane Goodall, a towering figure in primatology whose observations of chimpanzee behavior in the wild and advocacy for their conservation made her a household name, died Wednesday at the age of 91. https://scim.ag/4mKKEg4

Excellent presentation by Sebastian Igelmann on the International Cell Senescence Association Conference #ICSA2025Rome and @icsasenescence. Congratulations, Sebastian!

Metabolic rewiring is a hallmark of cancer. What do we currently know and how can we translate these findings towards clinical impact? 👉 bit.ly/3KboAxJ Big congratulations to #YimingPeng-Winkler @dfg.de @fwovlaanderen.bsky.social @vib-ccb.bsky.social

🚀 WE'RE BACK! "The Many Faces of Cancer Evolution" is coming back to Rimini on May 27-29, 2026! meetings.embo.org/event/26-can... Join me, Luca @magnanilab.bsky.social , Celine Vallot, and Samra @turajliclab.bsky.social for 3 days of amazing science on the beach! @embo.org meeting #cancer 👇👇

Amazing 10-year Ho Lab Symposium and celebration! Big congratulations to Ping-Chih for all the breakthroughs from his lab and the legacy of PhD students and postdocs he trained! I am looking forward to what comes in the next 10 years!

Big congratulations to @elialab.bsky.social who is an alumni of the lab! So well deserved!

Come join us for your next research endeavor in the heart of Europe!

Always a pleasure to contribute to the amazing research of the @vanderhaeghenp2.bsky.social lab! Congratulations also to #AnkeVandekeere from @fendtlab.bsky.social

Anyone working in metastasis research – the BEUG Foundation has once again opened the call for their Metastasis Research Prize. This prize is a wonderful recognition of innovative contributions and supports excellence in metastasis research across Europe. www.beugstiftung-metastase.de/apply-now/

"For half an hour, I vented everything I had been holding in for months … my supervisor … then calmly offered a line I’ll never forget: 'You are here to learn to ride a bicycle, not to invent a bicycle.' That one sentence landed softly, but it cracked something open." https://scim.ag/4lt1Ru0

It's my first #newPI roll call on BlueSky! Calling all new #cancer PIs who just started or who are about to start their labs! Please say hi and what you work on so I can follow you if I don't already! 😃

Super excited to share our newest piece out today @natrevcancer.nature.com linking age-induced metabolic reprogramming to cancer development. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Amazing short talk by #KonstantinosKolliopoulos at the 2025 iscam2025.org on how nutrient restriction decreases metastasis formation! @vib-ccb.bsky.social @vetenskapsradet.bsky.social

Big congratulation to #MingLiu for presenting his PhD research on lipid signaling in lung metastases at the 2025 iscam2025.org @vib-ccb.bsky.social

Will it be a turning point? I recently came back from a research sabbatical funded by @fwovlaanderen.bsky.social & #KULeuven in the lab of @mafdawson.bsky.social @petermaccc.bsky.social and I am happy to share my experience @natcancer.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s43... @vib-ccb.bsky.social

Wonderful celebration of the research and innovation prizes @kuleuvenuniversity.bsky.social Big congratulations to @ginevradoglioni.bsky.social for winning the biomedical sciences prize for her PhD research! Wishing you fun and success on your next endeavor @salkinstitute.bsky.social #proudPI

This #EWAC2025 we're looking ahead to Europe's top cancer research event, the EACR 2025 Congress 🎉 Have you registered yet? It's happening from 16-19 June in Lisbon! Secure your spot: 2025.eacr.org

Everyone knows Marie Curie. Yet, do you know other women at the forefront of science? Amazing & highly relevant Women in Science Event by @daadworldwide.bsky.social. It was an honor to take part in the panel discussion. @vib-ccb.bsky.social @kuleuvenuniversity.bsky.social @dbobruessel.bsky.social

@ankevandekeere.bsky.social and #SebastianIgelmann gave fantastic short talks at the www.vibconferences.be/events/immun.... Big congratulations to Anke and Sebastian! @vib-ccb.bsky.social @embo.org

Thanks so much for visiting! We are very excited about the research you will do in your lab! Have a great start at the University of Barcelona!

Hear from cancer researcher Sarah-Maria Fendt www.cell.com/news-do/50-i... @fendtlab.bsky.social

Check out our #50ScientistsThatInspire interviews with Drs. Guillaume de Bo, Christopher O. Barnes, & Sarah-Maria Fendt.🧵 @guillaumedebo.bsky.social @cobarnes27.bsky.social @fendtlab.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/s42... Metabolites are not genes. repeat, please!

Back at VIB-KU Leuven @vib-ccb.bsky.social - after an amazing sabbatical in the labs of @mafdawson.bsky.social & @sj-dawson.bsky.social at the @petermaccc.bsky.social - full of exciting ideas and loaded with Australian chocolate for the lab!

Free webinar! Join our expert panel for a thought-provoking discussion on the critical role of fundamental research in driving innovation and breakthroughs in cancer science ✨ #KeepResearchCurious 📅 25 March 16:00 CET 🌍 Zoom us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

We are looking for PhD students and/or postdocs that want to join us to study the metabolism of metastasizing cancer cells with cutting-edge spatial and single cell technologies. fendtlab.sites.vib.be/en