Scientists at the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) hope to use a new technique to expose the secrets of cancer and other diseases. Some 1,200 researchers work together under the auspices of the VIB, which works closely together with the four Flemish universities. The VIB hopes to discover why Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular diseases and cancer arise in the first place. “We are examining life at its tiniest level, almost at an atomic level,” says managing director Jo Bury. “This means we are not looking at DNA, but at the 30,000 proteins in our body. It is they that ultimately determine whether they develop into an organ, for example, or a cancerous tumour.” Until recently the VIB was unable to realise these ambitious plans, given the 68 million Euro funding cut to Flemish scientific research. But two days ago the Flemish minister for Innovation, Ingrid Lieten (SP.A), suddenly announced that the government would invest 65 million Euros in science and innovation. This led to much celebration in Zwijnaarde (Ghent), where the VIB is based. A number of scientists were granted three years to create a fresh perspective on cancer, for the purposes of which they will link up a number of microscopes to create a much larger instrument. “We will install a type of webcam to view all 30,000 proteins,” said Bury. “This will allow us to track them and see how they develop into malignant tumours. We will be the first in the world to take this step.” The VIB is also talking about drugs to treat a variety of cancers. “We have ideas about how the disease arises and can test these under the microscope,” the director said. “This will allow us to come up with separate drugs for every tumour and to prevent cancer from developing."