Marthe De Boevre
Launching the Largest Health Study in Belgium Ever
Ghent University professor Marthe De Boevre is an authority in clinical mycotoxicology. All over the world, the PhD in pharmaceutical sciences is involved in research on toxins in fungi that cause cancers and affect the immune system.
In addition, De Boevre coordinates MYTOX-SOUTH, an intercontinental collaboration to improve food security and safety in the Global South by reducing mycotoxins. Together with her fellow professor Sarah De Saeger, she not only shares her knowledge with researchers and universities, but also works on the ground in Africa to raise awareness among local farmers, consumers and governments. “Because we have to get them on board if we want to solve the problem,” she says.
Back home, Marthe De Boevre recently launched the largest health study ever: UZ Gent, Ghent University and imec are joining forces to medically monitor 20,000 people over the age of 45 ... for twenty years. “There is still too much curative healthcare today – we only react when someone falls ill. With this research, we want to collect a ton of data on ageing so that we will be able to work more preventively in the future.”