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Biomedical/pharma

Biomedical/pharma

Mind Over Money: US vs. European Investment Psychology in Biotech

Early-stage biotech investing has always demanded a high tolerance for uncertainty, and an uncanny ability to predict which fledgling technologies will one day reshape health. But one silent force shapes investment outcomes more often than we admit: psychology. At the intersection of capital and culture, we find a compelling and underexplored story — the differences between investors in the US and Europe, and how these contrasts play out in biotech.

To PhD or Not to PhD: A Growing Question in the Life Sciences

An increasing number of PhD students are concerned about their career prospects. Currently, only around 5-10% of PhD graduates remain in academia — the vast majority have to navigate an unfamiliar job market, where industry demand for their highly educated profiles appears to be in decline. Is a PhD still the best route to professional success? And what can students do to prepare themselves?

European Biotech Act: New initiative to mobilize €10 billion investment for Europe’s biotech sector

The European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group have announced an initiative to mobilize €10 billion in investment in 2026-27 into the biotech and life sciences sector. The project aims to give a significant boost to the EU's competitiveness in biotechnology, by addressing the EU's current investment gap and mobilizing public-private investment into promising new health solutions.

Celebrating the Pitch Winners of HealthTech Investor Summit 2025

Europe’s healthtech pipeline was on full display at the HealthTech Investor Summit 2025 in Utrecht, with the regions brightest rising stars in the spotlight. From surgical robotics and implantable devices to bioelectronics and next-generation diagnostics, here are the pitching companies that stood out to both the judges and audience.

Before the Fall: Catching Cognitive Decline Early with Citizen Science

In Antwerp, a unique cohort of volunteers is helping to solve one of the world's most urgent medical challenges: the early detection of cognitive decline. While the study is local, its implications are global — providing the long-term data needed to understand the hidden years of decline in Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, to enable early diagnosis and intervention.

The FDA Reset and its Ripple Effect on European Biotech

In the past two years, a rapid succession of FDA policy shifts has fundamentally reshaped the regulatory landscape. These changes have created uncertainty for biotech companies around the world — lengthening development timelines, increasing demands for upfront capital, and amplifying modality-specific risks. European investors should now consider explicit regulatory strategies as essential to the success of their portfolio.

A Champions League of European Health Innovation Clusters

Recently at the Medicon Valley Alliance Summit in Copenhagen, the spotlight was on European competitiveness. In a keynote, panelists from four of Europe’s leading life sciences hubs shared their intention to establish a “Champions League” of clusters, working as a team to strengthen health innovation for Europe as a whole.

ATB Therapeutics: Antibody Seeker Missiles for Cancer and Autoimmune Diseases

Antibodies have long held promise as a ‘magic bullet’ for cancer therapies, yet many antibody-drug conjugates face issues with toxicity and resistance. Belgian startup ATB Therapeutics is producing a new type of weaponized antibodies, using plants as mini factories for safe, effective cancer and autoimmune treatments.

A New Horizon in Cancer Care: The Promise of Multi-Source Liquid Biopsies

For the many women who develop metastatic breast cancer, treatment options are increasingly determined using blood-based diagnostics. But there are many other bodily fluids that can also be screened, potentially opening doors to new therapies for these patients. This broader approach to testing could improve clinical trial designs and be extended to other cancer types.

Personalized medicine: Europe’s seeds are sown but not yet grown

To truly improve patients’ lives through personalized medicine, the seeds of innovation must be sown, and its capacity must be grown. Europe undoubtedly excels as an R&D hub, yet we fall behind when transforming ideas into tangible products and services. So how can we create an environment where personalized medicine can flourish and deliver real solutions for patients? That question was the focus of a recent meeting at the European Parliament where the PRECISEU consortium brought together key stakeholders to discuss the future of the field.

Improving biotech decisions by fostering team debate

What makes a biotech company soar or crash? Usually, people cite a combination of cutting-edge science, experienced team, smart business strategy and adequate funding. But there is another less obvious factor that is equally critical for company performance: the internal dynamics of the team. So how can a company create a culture of constructive disagreement to foster better decision-making?

Called to Science with Bart Lambrecht: From medicine to finding focus in fly fishing

VIB’s podcast Called to Science is back for a second season—a series where science journalist Brad Van Paridon sits with researchers to go beyond the science: exploring the passion, setbacks, and big questions that motivate them. In this episode, Bart Lambrecht—director of the VIB Center for Inflammation Research and a practicing physician at Ghent University Hospital—dives into the overlaps between treating patients, running a lab, and the fascination that drives him forward.

Science for Health 2025: How to anchor innovation in Belgium?

Belgium puts a lot of resources into research and innovation, supporting the creation of spinouts and startups with brilliant potential health solutions. But as they grow, most of those companies eventually hit a point where local support isn’t enough—they have to look beyond Europe for their manufacturing, clinical trials, and funding needs. How can Belgium close this gap so companies can stay and thrive in Europe?

Trio of scientists win Nobel Prize for immune system regulation

Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2025 for their groundbreaking discoveries in peripheral immune tolerance—how the immune system uses regulatory T cells to prevent other immune cells from attacking our own body. Their work laid the foundation for a new field of research and spurred the development of treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases.

Germany’s Biotech Sector: Time to Wake the Sleeping Giant

Germany has long been considered a “sleeping giant” in European biotech—full of promise, but slow to rise. The country boasts world-class research institutions, a strong industrial base, and a rich pool of scientific talent. Yet for years, Germany has lagged behind smaller neighbors like Belgium, Denmark, and Switzerland when it comes to biotech start-up activity, early-stage investment, and company creation. But now, a shift may be underway—what will it take for the German giant to stir?