VIB Switch Laboratory is a research laboratory focused on how proteins fold and misfold, and how these processes relate to human disease. Its work examines how protein aggregation reshapes the interactome: aggregates can disrupt proteins’ normal interactions and create new, aggregation-specific interactions, which may contribute to gain-of-function effects such as neurotoxicity. Research areas include amyloid proteins, amyloidosis, aggregation-prone regions, gatekeeper residues, heterotypic protein interactions, and targeted protein aggregation.

The laboratory also investigates protein design and translation-driven delays in protein folding, and publishes research on topics including Alzheimer’s disease and cardiac ATTR amyloidosis. Alongside its research, VIB Switch Laboratory develops software and provides software licences, with tools and resources available through its website. The site also shares publications, laboratory information, and opportunities, and highlights the team’s expertise in biophysics.

By combining studies of molecular mechanisms with computational tools and disease-focused research, the laboratory aims to improve understanding of protein aggregation and its effects in human health